IGN - Knack on PS4 Is Fun (and Difficult) For All Ages

IGN - It’s unclear what Sony’s intention is with Knack, its PS4-exclusive launch title under development at Studio Japan. Does Sony want a new mascot – a la Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, or Jak & Daxter – or something that’s simply accessible for all ages? The latter point seems to be important to Mark Cerny, the creator of Knack and the man who helped bring those four aforementioned franchises to life. Indeed, Knack was inspired by a seeming lack of PlayStation 4 games aimed at children and families.

[pedrof93]

Well, don't judge a book for its cover.

[ShugaCane]

I am pleasently surprised that the game holds some challenge. I am still not completely interested since its really designed for children first but platformers are unfortunately too rare these days.. I'll give Knack a chance if it turns out anywhere near as fun as the first Crash or Spyro games.

[gaffyh]

Yup, and that's the point. This is a game that younger gamers will enjoy, and older gamers who like platformers like Jak & Daxter and Crash. It gives parents an excuse to buy the PS4 in the holidays as there is at least one game that is made specifically to be not as violent as others.

I don't expect this game to get 10/10 from anywhere, but I have no doubt that it will be a fun platformer, which is nice to see as every other game is a shooter nowadays.

[popup]

I never get why people say games like this, ratchet etc. are designed for children? Are blood and death a requirement of the sophisticated adult?

I fail to see how mindless shooters offer anything more in complexity or story. In fact, they offer far less imo.

[ShugaCane]

@popup

Did I say Ratchet was designed for children ? I don't like the way you're mixing everything up. I love platformers, I love Ratchet, Spyro, Jak and Daxter, etc. But Knack IS designed for children. Cerny said it himself. It's a game to play with your kids. I didn't say platformers were for kids. Please don't make me say things I didn't say. Thanks

[popup]

@ShugaCane

Sorry, that was not my intention. I used the term 'People' rather than aiming it at you.

Your comment simply reminded me of a general tone that seems to exist around games like this and others like it and I simply don't get why it is inferred so often ;)

[Salooh]

@popup
Knack gameplay is not as deep as spyro / crash / ratchet / jack . Ni no kuni have cartoon art style , but i never said it's for children. Gameplay in knack just look really simple that's why i say it's for kids..

Therefor , i'm not judging it , let the kids judge it them selfs :)

[TekoIie]

People need to understand that "kid friendly" does not mean "exclusively for kids".

[Xsilvermist]

The gamescom gameplay i saw looked difficult especially how fast knack health falls and got me more interested I'm playing jak and daxter collection and playing jak one i die so many times and its sooooooooooooo fun ,I'm buying knack because i like variety and they announced its co-op so why not me and my little could have allot of fun.

[Triella]

I preordered it as soon as it was available : I know Mark Cerny worked on Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Spyro, Ratchet & Clank and I know Sony has always excellent plateformer/adventure games (add Sly Cooper to the list), that's why I don't have any doubts Knack will be a fun game to play.

[Abash]

Im giving my full support to Knack, the story looks like it has a bunch of great cutscenes and the gameplay looks fun. I just hope it has a lot of puzzles that makes platformers so good.

[DonFreezer]

The problem here is that if this was an Xbox One game you would all judge it for its cover. I have never seen a mature Xbox gamer who down votes other games because they are on a different platform like some of you chaps have been doing the last 5 years.

[saint_seya]

"I never saw a mature xbox gamer. Who down votes other games because they are on different platform"
Thats what u ment to say it ;)

"PS trolls you never seize to amaze. You have witnessed the worst conference in the world. You have learned that out of your precious 30 exclusives the 20 are indie games and all you have to do is say damn right to Sony who is so desperate that they bad mouth Microsoft in every way they can? Shut your freaking mouth.Xbox One has crashed the PS4 and you better believe it before the reality hurts your butt that much. #1.11"

Guess with a comment like that, thats and example of mature x-box gamer.. You realize that people can read all the comments you have made, you are talking of been mature???

Please go back to your cave.... Troll season isnt on yet...

[ASTAROTH]

Don Freezer: YOU JUST GET OWNED!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[Raven722]

In regards to DonFreezers older comment about a significant majority of Sony's 30 games being Indie titles, that's not true as of right now. The 30 games that were mentioned were games that are at least being published by Sony Worldwide Studios if not developed by them and that does not include games like Galak-Z and Basement Crawl which are not even being published by Sony.

Currently, 5 games are big budget retail exclusives, 4 games are digital-only PS4 exclusives, and 3 games are digital-only that are for all 3 of Sony's platforms. Depending on what Yoshida meant by "exclusive PS4 games", we are looking at either 4 or 7 'Indie' games out of the 30 he mentioned. Nowhere near 20 games. That's also assuming that the digital-only games are actual Indie titles. Shadow of the Beast is being made by a company that has veterans who have worked on Need for Speed, Battlefield, The Sims, and Starfox. I don't know that you could call that team 'Indie' in the traditional sense.

Sony Worldwide Studios has between 8 and 11 games yet to announce for just Year One, depending on what they consider a "PS4 exclusive". With TGS and Sony's own Japan Conference yet to be held in addition to the VGAs where Sony is anticipated to make an announcement, not to mention they could also just wait for certain Holiday 2014 announcements for next convention season, there is a reason why Sony fans are not concerned.

Certainly not concerned after witnessing the performance issues of Dead Rising 3 and the embarrassing multiplayer of Ryse. Zoo Tycoon? Figher Within? Peggle? Garden Warfare? Powerstar Golf? Lococycle? I'm just so certain people will be lining up for those games. Especially when two of them are confirmed timed exclusives. The Xbox One's starting lineup is nowhere near as impressive as certain people are making it out to be.

[Freedomland]

@DonFreezer

Sad, he can't even reply but don't worry these things don't go easy, he will be back to troll with another new account with different username and we will be waiting.

[YourSavior]

Yes, because you're definitely a 'mature' Xbox gamer. All you do on here is bash Sony. You're no better than the "PS Fan Trolls".

[Infamous298]

I didnt get the hate about this game, i always wished for a platformer game that is similar to Crash Bandicoot in gameplay.

[pedrof93]

There are some articles saying that this games was all guts, meaning it was just to show of PlayStation power. And I also read somewhere that this game had not much of a big variety of attack mechanics and for some reason it was bad.

[ZodTheRipper]

Finally something positive about Knack from a gaming website.

I'm sure my little brother or cousin will love this (just like my generation loved Crash Bandicoot and Spyro) but I'm not so sure whether I'm too old and "experienced" to enjoy this. If you've played so many games for over a decade it's hard to see the fun in such simple games ...but since my brother convinced me to get it I'll definately give it a try.

[Benjammin25]

Your never too old dude. I mean yeah, being 25 myself, I prefer games with deeper characters and a strong narrative like The Last Of Us, but if I only played dark, bleak games like that all the time I'd probably fall into a deep depression. It's okay to let your inner child out now and again. If anything, I think it's the healthy thing to do. Mark Cerny and the team behind Gravity Rush working on this game. Should be good.

[TwistedMetal]

good to know It has hard difficulty. cant wait to get this and platinum trophy it so I can be in the lead next gen for most platinum trophies on ps4 lol. the rest of you chumps gonna be behind being all picky and only playing the biggest of the biggest games.

[Quicktopick]

even in normal mode(in one video i checked) the guy died 5 times, I think, in 5 minutes. lol

[hemmo1986]

While I probably wont play knack much, at least my nephews will be able to enjoy this game.

I think its important to have games for younger gamers, and since most of the launch games are aimed at older audiences I think Sony needs this to appeal to all ages.

[hagla]

Does Knack talk? I think I would like it if he had character

[FamilyGuy]

Yeah, I think only when he's bigger than human size though. It's a really deep voice too, he's got he chops of a grown black man.

[hagla]

Haha, thanks mate

[wenaldy]

Knack is voiced by James Earl Jones.

[Oneopine]

I was on the fence at first, but ended up pre-ordering knack last night. I am looking forward to a different but at the sametime classic gameplay that knack will offer. I have a feeling games like Watchdog, Killzone, etc will have a similar feel when playing those type of games and having knack in the line up will offer a nice change.

[hazardman]

It looks like a good time for KIDS. Problem is my kids aren't gonna ever touch my PS4. So im gonna pass.

[Doctoglethorpe]

Still looks bad. A platformer entails.. platforming. Using creativity to get from point A to point B. It involves puzzles just as much as combat. So far all of the gameplay for Knack makes the game appear to be very flat and very linear. No puzzles to speak of. I wouldn't call this a platformer at all. Its just a simple beat-em-up game. A shallow one. Difficulty does not equal complexity or fun, they can keep saying it has unexpected challenge for its "kiddie-style" (a false assumption) but that means little in terms of game quality.

I sincerely believe this should be a $15 psn game, not a $60 title. The only thing in common with a full priced title it has is the graphics. It looks kind of fun, but not at that price. In fact there are $15 games with far more complexity this this. I think its only getting a pass because its a launch title, so expectations are dramatically lowered. Just like Ryse, another shallow but sparkly game.

Its disappointing though, I want to love it, I love Cerny, I want a new mascot, but I just can't. Guess I'll play it next year when it inevitably, quickly ends up on PS+.

[G20WLY]

We've not seen much gameplay footage yet to be able to draw these kinds of conclusions. I'm keeping an open mind, but I definitely trust Cerny.

"A platformer entails...platforming" - someone forgot to tell Ratchet & Clank and Sly Cooper! These games had stealth, puzzles, platforming, shoot 'em up, arena battle, turret shooting, 3rd person shooting, racing, character progression elements, humour, mini 2D platformers, swimming, free-falling, mechs and any number of things I've forgotten.

What makes you think Knack won't contain some, all or even additional features to those Sony exclusives?

[Doctoglethorpe]

You just said yourself platformers involve platforming and puzzles... and your right that other stuff too. Variety of activities that require using creativity, exploration and problem solving to reach your goal.

This late in the game they need to of (would of) shown that kind of variety if it had it. Look at the trailer for Into the Nexus, thats what this game should look like but it doesn't. At least they've yet to show it as such. Every single video they've released, like 5 separate levels now by my count, are all the same, flat and linear. The biggest bit of variety, little ice slides. Woop. The only part that resembles a modern AAA mascot platformer is the combat. Thats not enough. By all given accounts, this game does not look AAA. But of course, since its a launch title being developed by Cerny its being sat up on a horse like its a big deal. Meanwhile Into the Nexus, a PS3 game, looks far better.

What makes me think Knack won't have all that variety that a platformer entails? They haven't indicated or shown it will. At all. 3 months out from launch. That's a pretty good reason in my book, but I guess that's not enough for the blind optimists of the world. *shrug*

Disagree with reality.

[G20WLY]

Wow, sorry for playing devil's advocate! You're a real bundle of joy, aren't you? lol

"Blind optimist"? No. Wide-eyed realist? Yes. Ready and waiting to see what else will soon be revealed about Knack. Cerny has a good history.

All I know for sure, right now, is it looks like life is lonely for the close-minded pessimist. ;P

[IanVanCheese]

I've played bits of it and it was fun but you're right, it's not a 'platformer' in the traditional sense, there is no platforming.

[JackVagina]

this is gonna sound really bad, but the reason i don't wanna get this game is because it'll probably be the first big PS+ title for 2014

[TemplarDante]

I have a PS4 preorderd with BF4 and Fifa 14. I have to state, I kind of regret getting them both to be honest. EA is such a lazy company, their going to release both intentionally gimped. I really should have listend to my gut feeling and went with two 1st party games. Killzone SF and maybe Knack. After this gen, Maybe Knack couldve been just the colour and artstyle I needed to start the gen with.

[devwan]

How are they going to be gimped? I can see them being fairly standard ports, just a matter of getting them to work and not much flair beyond that, but I don't see them being gimped.

[goldwyncq]

What's with this misconception that family friendly games aren't challenging?

[Jeff257]

I am glad I have the Knack bundle on pre order at Amazon. I cannot wait to play this. I am sure my kids will enjoy it as well but I do still love playing these types of games. It is always fun to be able to branch out to other genres. Also I do plan on buying more than just Knack at launch but right now I am deciding if the other games I want will be bought as a physical copy or if I will go more to digital this gen.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

I found it really dull.

[buynit]

So did i after watching that video yesterday.. He has a lil dash to dodge kind of like god of war but doesnt seem right in this game.

The annoying part though... Is shit still disapears! Find a secret room, break the wood and watch it dissapear in a few seconds right in front of you..

Cerny messed up by trying to make it for everyone instead of just setting a target audience.

[vigilante_man]

I thought the 15 min video looked great. A bit of Ratchet & Clank and a bit of Crash. I was not that impressed in Feb but it looks pretty good to me.

Doesn't seem that easy either. I like the way you can see through his parts. That's neat. It will also looked more polished upon release.

With KZ and all the f2p games we will have enough shooters for day 1. Glad we get other stuff as well. It is different from Watchdogs/AC4 and all other launch titles. We have choice!

[PhinneousD]

This game looks LAME. Give me Bayonetta 2!

[arbitor365]

people see one article from PSM (a magazine whose reviews have always been garbage) and then come to the immediate conclusion that knack is just some throw-away game.

well, they are going to eat their words, because this game looks pretty damn good.

[Sci0n]

Wow coming from a hardcore gamer who prefers shooters and sports this game seems to be pretty fun and amazing. I am intrigued in a weird way by it. The last colorful game I played was crash bandicoot when I was a kid and I loved that game. I may have to buy this.

[LordNikon]

Game looks fun. I need at least one game like this at launch, would've preffered a next-gen Ratchet & Clank though. But i'm still definitely going to get this.