Making games hardware is a hard and unforgiving business, and one of the most vexing problems any manufacturer faces when creating a new console is its line-up of games at launch. In order to make it credible – which they rarely are – you need two things: to cover all the major games genres, and to offer some exclusive games that aren't just versions of existing franchises. Knack, created by Sony's Japan Studio, ticks both those boxes. But ultimately, it doesn't convince.
It is, at least, original, and contains some cute ideas. Aimed at a younger, more casual audience than the rest of the PS4's launch games, it's set in a fantasy land studded with mysterious relics. Knack is the result of a professor's tinkering: a sentient character made from those relics, he has the power to absorb any other relics he comes across, and thereby grow from a tiny three feet high to a house-sized hulk. The game starts with goblins invading human territory; the professor uses that as an opportunity to test out Knack's powers, although he soon sees himself up against the robots created by the sinister human Viktor as well. During the course of the game, Knack discovers he can augment himself, and bulk up massively, using shards of ice, wood or metal, and he also learns special attacks, powered up by the yellow Sunstones that litter the landscape. These enchanting ideas translate into what you would describe as action-platform gameplay – Knack has a punch, jump and evade move, enabling him to take on an increasingly formidable roster of enemies, and there are plenty of conventional platform-style sequences involving a modicum of puzzle-solving, such as avoiding magnets when Knack has augmented himself with iron, or morphing him into a crystal version of himself in order to pass through lasers unseen.
Nice ideas, repetitive gameplay
Knack contains plenty of cute ideas and clever touches – ice-Knack will melt back to his base-state when outside in the sunlight, for example, or sometimes when he's wooden, you have to set him on fire to solve puzzles. But the trouble is that the game's cuter ideas don't generate particularly interesting gameplay. The control system is very simplified, and despite manful attempts to introduce varied sequences, such as fans which cause him to float in the air, the whole game is more or less one big trawl of punching enemies punctuated by platform sequences, which becomes pretty repetitive.
Also, controlling Knack is much more fun when he's big, but that only tends to happen towards the end of each chapter. In his base state, he has so little health that a couple of hits will take him out, so one mistimed move, even against a thoroughly unthreatening enemy, can send you back to the previous checkpoint. There are big boss-battles in which 100-foot-high Knack takes on enemies of a similar size, but they are too few and far between. Some sequences are pretty hard, requiring you take a strategic approach, which is good, may lead to frustration among younger gamers.
Disappointing visuals
Another glaring problem is that Knack just doesn't look like a next-gen game: frankly, its graphics would be pretty unremarkable on the PlayStation 3. Sony Japan has opted for a cartoonish look, but that negates the PS4's ability to display convincing-looking textures; the humans and goblins, along with much of the landscape, look like they are made from plasticine. And other visual elements jar: for example, when you smash crates full of relics, the smashed bits take a while to disappear, like some sort of ghosts from the 16-bit days of gaming.
The annoyance doesn't end there, either: you can find hidden areas containing chests that hold components for creating objects that will upgrade Knack in useful ways, but either they are too well hidden or they are too rare, as you will have progressed through most of the game before you even construct one such upgrade.
Plenty of charm for kids
On the plus side, Knack is frequently rather charming. The storyline, although hardly remarkable, should grip and enchant a younger audience, and Knack himself has plenty of personality (despite a slightly annoying growly American voice). His abilities are interesting, and it would be nice to see him return in the future with substantially better vehicle in which to showcase his talents.
Knack isn't a bad game: there is satisfaction to be derived from it, some of the gameplay is genuinely good fun (at its best moments, it does begin to acquire an air reminiscent of a more ponderous Crash Bandicoot), and it's one of the longer games to emerge in recent years, so will at least keep youngsters occupied for decent periods of time. But neither is it a particularly good game, which is hugely disappointing given that it's supposed to be one of the flagship reasons for buying a PlayStation 4. If you're buying a PlayStation 4, and want to get one game for the kids, you'd be much better off with a copy of the vastly superior Lego Marvel Super Heroes – and you'd actually enjoy playing that yourself when the kids have been packed off to bed.
