Knack PS4 Console Game

I purchased Knack as part of a promotional deal I received with the Killzone launch edition of the PS4. In this game you play Knack, a relic golem, created to help save the world from the evil goblin invaders. The game’s play style and storyline are simple: collect relics, grow large, beat up the bad guys, and smash everything in sight. Knack grows larger and stronger by absorbing relics scattered throughout the game. There are no set amount of lives […]

I purchased Knack as part of a promotional deal I received with the Killzone launch edition of the PS4. In this game you play Knack, a relic golem, created to help save the world from the evil goblin invaders. The game’s play style and storyline are simple: collect relics, grow large, beat up the bad guys, and smash everything in sight. Knack grows larger and stronger by absorbing relics scattered throughout the game. There are no set amount of lives so whenever Knack dies he simply respawns at the last check point. There was a lot that I liked about Knack, but there was also a lot that I disliked.

Knack has a nice collection of gadgets to build. The gadgets augment Knack’s special abilities. To assemble a gadget Knack has to find all the parts, which are located in hidden treasure chests. When Knack opens a chest a random part will pop out. Once all the parts are gathered the gadget assembles and equips itself. There is a gadget called a Secret Detector, which PINGS when Knack is near any secret door. Other gadgets like the Combo Meter add damage to Knack’s attacks through consecutive hits, or the Double Battery, which doubles the damage on Knack’s super attacks.

Besides gadgets there are also crystal relics sets to acquire. Collecting a full set of crystal relics unleash ancient powers. For example, gathering 15 ruby relics unlocks Vampire Knack. Vampire Knack is stronger, but his health slowly depletes so Knack must kill enemies quickly to restore health. Each crystal relic set has different attributes and the different varieties of Knack are fun to play.

Surprisingly, beating Knack requires a lot of playtime, and it’s difficulty level is moderate to hard. Once the game is over you can keep all the relics and gadgets and start up a new game. And although I have not yet played it myself, Knack does have a two player co-op mode.

I had a love/hate relationship with the controls. In most platform 3D games the left joystick controls character movement and the right joystick controls camera angle, but not in this game. Using the right joystick causes Knack to quickly dash in any direction. It took some time to adjust to these controls. I ended up using the dash attacks a lot, but the lack of camera control was frustrating.

Now onto the negatives, and there were many frustrating elements hurting this game. The whole point of Knack is that he can grow gigantic by collecting relics, but no matter how large Knack becomes he is always 2 hits from death. For a long time I felt this must be a game glitch. Small Knack gets killed in 2 hits, and gigantic Knack gets killed in 2 hits. I couldn’t figure out what the point was of growing large if it doesn’t help Knack take a punch.

Another complaint is enemy choice. Knack is created to fight the goblins hordes, but instead spends a lot of time battling birds and bugs. These types of enemies represent poor game design. Knack can smash armored tanks with one hand and throw them at buildings, but that tiny insect might kill him if it gets too close. The birds and bugs could have been transformed into some kind of mechanized goblin creation that fits the storyline.

In my opinion this is Sony’s attempt at producing a Nintendo style game. There are times it feels like I could be playing Mario or Zelda, but ultimately this game is not as fun. The bottom line is that I wouldn’t have purchased Knack if there were more games in the PS4 library at launch, and I wouldn’t recommend paying more then 20-25 dollars for this game. Maybe rent it first. This game is an average game, but probably good for young children.