Knack Review by: Eirinn - 9/10
A Modern ClassicKnack, a game loved by many, and had in derision by most...or is it? While those who most often speak of Knack talk about how terrible it is, a quick examination of PSN or other sites that require a verified purchase prior to rating will show that Knack tends to score well. So it appears that most who give the game a shot tend to agree that it's a quality experience. The reasons for the hate it receives even from those who have never played it vary, but the focus of this review is to determine whether this game is a gem or the deplorable mess some would have us think.
Graphics: 10/10
Incredible.
Now first off I realize the graphics in Knack are far from cutting edge and rather resemble a Pixar movie, but toony graphics are hardly something to call a fault if they're what the developer was shooting for. In fact the game wouldn't feel quite right if the developer had taken the realism approach to graphics, and the entire story would have felt out of place as well. Imagine if you will, Call of Duty with toony graphics, or Sonic the Hedgehog with realistic graphics (suddenly playing as a hedgehog seems far less entertaining): neither game would be nearly as enjoyable, as the aesthetic wouldn't fit the style and attitude of the game. Such is the case here.
But toony doesn't mean ugly, as Knack has some rather charming visuals, and at times the scenery is outright beautiful, and the particle effects are very nice, such as those that occur after Knack performs his explosion super move. There's a good amount of attention to detail as well, like how when Knack takes damage and relics fly off of him, his character model reflects the loss of relics and when his health dips low enough, you can clearly see gaps between the relics that make up his body, exposing the flow of his energies that held the relics in place. To see a character dynamically and accurately changing in appearance as they take damage is a nice touch that we don't see in enough games even still. And that's not even mentioning the detail in the markings on the relics that make Knack up, turn it on one time and you'll see what I mean.
As alluded to earlier, the environments are well made with my only complaint being that the rocks in the cave areas don't quite look up to par with the rest of the graphics. They look more last gen than toony, but the rest of the game more than makes up for this in my opinion.
The various areas are a bit of a mixture of a toony version of their real life counterparts and fantasy elements, and they all mesh together quite well. It shows how much effort was put into crafting each level to look the best that it could and not feel repetitive.
Overall there's little to complain about here, unless it be that you wish to lament the PS4 launch title not trying to wow us with hyper realistic graphics.
Highlights:
•The characters look great, especially Knack
•The Environments are well made
•The Particle effects add a final polish to an already good looking game
Sound: 9/10
Excellent.
The music here is unpredictable, as it can range from great to passable. During it's finest moments the music shines, such as when an intense battle is underway, or during many of the cutscenes. However the music during the levels, while fitting enough and certainly a help to set the mood, never really grabs you. All things considered however, the tunes are well done and give nothing to complain about.
The sound effects are nice, from the sound of a slow motion punch landing, to the sounds of the gunfire and explosions during certain scenes, and even the sound of Knack exploding (his relics are kind of expelled in all directions when he dies). By far my favorite sounds are the sounds of the Sunstones and relics etc. that Knack picks up during the game as they are pulled toward him by his energies, assembling to make him just that much bigger than he was. These sounds play both on screen and through the Dualshock 4's speaker. Playing as Knack and seeing the action going on on-screen and then hearing the relics and such as they come to him sounding as though they are coming toward YOU does something to make you feel like you're in the middle of it all that I haven't found in many games. It isn't too difficult to become fully engrossed in what's happening on screen. But then this game was directed by one of the main men behind the design of the PS4 and Dualshock 4, so it only makes sense that it would make full use of the hardware's special features.
The only thing I could complain about with the sound is the voice acting. While it's usually done quite well and feels spot on, there are a few lines where it feels off, in particular one cringe worthy line by the goblin chieftain: "Consequences? The consequences were I got lots of sunstones and relics and other good stuff." Yeah... Even written down it sounds cringe worthy. That line wasn't a fault of the voice actors, rather the blame falls on the script writers. What were they thinking about? Almost certainly anything but good dialogue. Thankfully this is the only scene with writing this poor, and the rest of the dialogue is just fine and at times rather funny.
Highlights:
•Good music that can be great when it wants to be
•Makes great use of the DS4's speaker
•The goblin chieftain got lots of other good stuff *shudders*
Story: 7/10
Very Good.
The humans are the most advanced of societies, and the goblins are pretty much a pain in the butt for them, kind of like that stupid fly that won't quit buzzing around your face when you're trying to have a serious conversation, leaving you swinging your hands like a loon. I hate that fly.
But it's not that bad as the goblins are armed with bows, swords, and small radius minor damage bombs made of a type of red rock that explodes. Meanwhile the humans are equipped with advanced weaponry such as some sort of laser gun thing, war jets, and the like. But something is different today...
To avoid spoiling so much as the opening scene, I'll leave it there. Suffice it to say that the goblins find a way to upgrade their nuisance status from pain-in-the-butt fly to vicious beasts trying to destroy all humanity. So like a fly on steroids. On top of this, Viktor the billionaire spoiled brat seems to be cooking up some evil schemes of his own.
All is not lost however as Doctor Vargas has a plan on how to stop the goblins: that plan is you, Knack. Just what the heck you are is anyone's guess, but the goblin chieftain does call you a golem made of relics for what it's worth. Regardless, you're in for a long uphill battle, and your friends just might be you more trouble than help. Think you're up to saving the world and protecting a smart but perhaps not so wise doctor?
The story is a simple one that we've seen countless variations of throughout the years and strays none too much from what you expect upon seeing the opening cutscene and the graphics (PIIIXAAARR!!!), so don't expect to be wowed or sitting on the edge of your seat throughout. What you see is what you get: a family friendly cartoon-esque story. But that doesn't mean it's bad, in fact I enjoyed it quite a bit! Of course I'm a cartoon nut, so maybe that reference was pointless.
Well then, moving right along.
Highlights:
•It stays true to it's roots
•Simple without being boring
•The whole story, man
Depth: 9/10
Excellent.
So first off, the story mode: it's entirely linear, you have a single, usually narrow path that you can follow, and that's it. This in fact is one of the main reasons cited by those who claim that Knack is a bad game. But in fact, Knack is basically old school gaming brought back to modern times. If you loved adventure games or beat 'em ups on the PSX and PS2 (or N64, GameCube, Dreamcast and Xbox for that matter) you'll love Knack. If you didn't, then pass on this game. It's that simple.
However despite it's linearity, with fifty levels Knack takes a good chunk of time to complete, and in fact, almost takes a tiny bit too long (one section of the game in particular feels entirely unnecessary), but the experience on the whole makes up for it.
Then there are the hidden areas in the game which contain special gadget parts that the doctor uses to build new gadgets to help you on you way, and in some cases, special crystal relics that when you collect enough of, unlock a new Knack. With each gadget taking three of more parts (the better ones take five or six) to put together, and six Knacks to unlock, you'll be playing this game for quite some time.
And finally we have the chapter
select mode, thirteen time attack stages, and three coliseum stages (time attack and coliseum each with a rating system you'll need to perfect for platinum), all of which you unlock after finishing the game on any difficulty. You'll likely sink a few hours into these modes as well if you want to play the part of a completionist, and they're definitely going to offer a challenge, especially if you play as Basic Knack or Vampire Knack (who totally isn't a vampire by the way. Go figure). And to top it off you can compete for top spot on the leaderboards if you're crazy enough to try. I'll leave that to you.
Simply put, a completionist will spend many hours on this game, as it'll likely take between six and ten playthroughs to platinum.
Highlights:
•Long story mode
•Tons of goodies to unlock
•Plenty of replayability for completionists
Addictiveness: 10/10
Incredible.
Like I said, the completionist (me) will play this game through several times, I myself did so six and a half times before finally tiring of it (but I got that platinum! Don't look at me that way...I don't have a problem). It's an undeniably simple game, but something about it is compelling and keeps bringing you back for more. To this day I still play Knack and that's saying something, as it's rare for me to platinum a game and pick it back up again afterward. In fact I've played through this game at least once more since I platinumed it and I plan on at least two more times, and even then I don't think I'll ever grow tired of it (playing it right now in fact). There are so many different goals you can set for yourself like setting a record on the leaderboards, or playing through the game as Vampire Knack (good luck on that) who constantly loses health but also gains some each time he defeats an enemy, all while looking really sweet with his ruby relics. There's no shortage of things to do here, and much like those classics from back in the day that you still fire up from time to time, Knack has a certain staying power, or at least to me it does.
Highlights:
•Has a certain quality that keeps sucking you back into the game
Difficulty: 2/10
Very Easy.
Okay now this is based on the easy difficulty which is declared by the developers to be "A difficulty setting for those who don't play games often". It's exactly what it sounds like: easy enough for a complete game noob to beat. My then five year old nephew beat the final boss by himself (don't expect that from most kids his age though, as that boss actually does pose somewhat of a challenge for first timers) if that tells you anything. But play this game on Very Hard, a difficulty described as "A difficulty that's challenging even for advanced players" and you just might feel like raging a bit at times as most enemies can kill you in a single hit, and you're often surrounded by them so getting out alive is indeed quite a challenge even for old school gamers. Normal and Hard are about what they sound like, and thus make the game have a level appropriate for everyone. I admit though, I had a second player helping me along in Very Hard mode (something I plan to complete by myself soon), yeah, it's that challenging.
Highlights:
•A difficulty fitting for anyone
Overall: 9/10
Excellent.
So this is my "professional" rating of Knack, but my personal rating is easily a 10/10. Few games have that ability to affect you as an adult the way they did when you were a kid, but for me personally Knack is one of those games. It's worth the full price tag of a new game easily, but you should be able to find it for less than half that at a game shop or online, and I for one strongly suggest you snag a copy of it when you get the chance. Do be warned though that it may take a few chapters worth of play before you begin to really get into the game, just stick with it though as the payoff is worth it.
In conclusion, Knack is a great game for fans of old adventure games from the days of the PSX and PS2, and worth a play by newer gamers that enjoy a simple and light but serious kid friendly story and straight forward gameplay. It isn't the deepest game out there, but it's draw lies largely in it's simplicity.
Graphics
10 Sound
9 Addictive
10 Depth
9 Story
7 Difficulty
2
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