Knack Review
/Oh Knack, how can one small little artifact made creature do so few things. Knack was one of the launch day titles I picked up on my PS4. I figured the game looked cute and had co-op so it might be something that both my wife and I could enjoy until the library on the PS4 became how shall we say, a little more robust. I figured for a puzzle/platform game it would be something right up our alley. Well, if you like walking down the same alley over and over again, with a different color paint on it, then yes, you will love Knack.
Knack starts out introducing you to all the different characters in the game right off the bat, and I thought, well this is going to be a blast. The cartoon style of Knack is really good, and could almost be mistaken for that of a cartoon you would find on TV today. The characters in the game were your common good vs. evil while you get to play the character that will save the world type of cast. Knack seems to have so much potential as you are playing through the game, you just never get the feeling that its full potential is actually ever reached.
The levels will start out with you being a small version of Knack and as you progress through the level you become "enormous" Knack and are pretty much a kick ass character. The larger you get, the more powerful and invincible you feel which felt pretty damn good. But, when you have to do this thirteen times, each level can get a little on the monotonous side. All levels have you starting out small and building up to a great crescendo only to be knocked back down in size and feel at the beginning of the next level. Each level of the game plays out pretty much the same. All of the level backgrounds and enemies all have the same feel to them. I really wish that there would have been more of an assortment of enemy types, but I guess once you kill one goblin you have killed them all. By the end of the game, I sat there and looked at my wife and said, I really feel like I have played this level already!
It's not to say that the levels aren't different. There are different locations and the looks is definitely different in each level. The levels where Knack turns into something else by using more than just the artifacts are pretty cool. Running around as a wood burning Knack was cool as well as being stealth knack. But these few instances of a differing mechanic just aren't that different. Plus, all of the collectibles in the game are really only meant to be used during your second play through I'm guessing. I really didn't finish any of the gadgets that were offered in the game until I was probably more then 3/4 of the way through it. When I finally did finish one, it really wasn't one that I was interested in using, but the gadgets themselves become equipped automatically so what the hell. This was the one aspect that I felt really could have been fleshed out more. Don't make me collect something for the whole game, only to be able to use it during the last two hours of my play through.
I'm not to sure what else I can say about this game. It is a cute little game, and Knack has the potential to be a really cool character. I really like the concept behind him and I'm wondering if there is actually going to be a Knack 2 somewhere on the horizon where they can develop the character and the game play a little more and maybe have more of a winner on their hands.
I would have to give Knack a Want to Try for anyone thinking about it.
