Coffee Dog
Banned
Knack is like a Lego game that only has one character instead of 50.
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LTT...something: Knack
- Thread starter Tizoc
- Start date
NullPointer
Member
To be sure I wasn't being facetious with the recommendation. Lego combat is super simple and doesn't require much attention, like at all, but you get all the explody blocks and humor bits, so that's probably the better way to go.
What makes Knack tick is its deceptively simple combat, but you can't be a slouch with it.
Cute quip, but he isn't.
I liked it, but it ain't anything special. Lacking in a lot of areas, but still serviceable.
Yea, my response was honestly far less sincere, lol... though honestly I wouldn't recommend Knack to anyone regardless of how they described their gaming preferences to me. I simply don't believe it excels (or even holds its own) in pretty much any arena. Challenge, and the requirement to pay attention to enemy attack patterns can be found in so many different games, and the good ones don't have that as basically the only thing going for them.
They are very, very few games where I believe "play it on hard" is a legitimate defense, and Knack definitely is not one that I'd count as an exception.
ShadowgeistX
Member
lol Jesus christ. Would probably be on the KazHiraiCEO twitter if it wasn't railing on a sony game.
Man, I don't even like Lego games. This is actually worse? I'm kinda glad I didn't bite on it during the holidays at $15.
We all want it free on PS+ anyways, apparently.
One of few games during the last few years I stopped playing not because my interest kind of fizzled out or because I didn't have enough time but simply because i hated playing it so much. So repetitive. So frustrating.
The fundamentals of a good action game are there as far as there is an attack button and there are enemies. The similarities pretty much end there.
The fundamentals of a good action game are there as far as there is an attack button and there are enemies. The similarities pretty much end there.
I don't like Lego games either.. but yes, this is worse. I played 52 games last year, and Knack was comfortably the worst full release (Conker's Big Reunion for Project Spark being the only other contender).
Honestly, I usually don't even tend to post in threads about games I actively dislike... but Knack's special... it needs to be put on PS+ just to prevent others buying it out of curiosity, lol.
wumster3000
Member
One of the best "one and dones" I've ever read.
Knack isn't actually made of garbage, so it doesn't really work... I'm sure there could have been a great pun about how the game feels like a PS1 "relic" instead though.
ShadowgeistX
Member
Damn, brutal stuff. The reception to this game has been ranging from pretty tepid to outright negative. If it was put on PS+ I think it'd be a game that I played for "free" and still feel ripped off afterwards.
Lumination
'enry 'ollins
You have to remember that the game had to appeal to children too. You can't have the adult mode under normal, because no kid will get past the first level.
I don't really care too much about defending a game that was only good, even by launch game standards, but it's such an easy punching bag that someone had to say something.
Story dialogue and characters wise. Sure. Knack is worse. But definitely not in the gameplay department. The gameplay in Lego games makes Knack look like Bayonetta.
semiconscious
Member
knack is one of those games that tries sooo hard to be 'charming', & just fails miserably. & i really dislike games like that 
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DJ_Lae
Member
I really enjoyed my time with the game. Maybe it was due to playing it co-op with my daughter (even if the second player metal Knack makes absolutely no sense in the story and is never addressed). Maybe it's because I only paid $10.
Sure, it's overly long and the character designs are hideous, but I liked its deceptively simple beat-em-up nature and how the game wasn't afraid to punish you for mashing buttons with Knack often going down with a single hit from some enemies.
Could have done without some of the bosses, of course, as they were often more annoying than fun. But man, playing it on Easy would rob the game of the only worthwhile thing it has - the gameplay.
Sure, it's overly long and the character designs are hideous, but I liked its deceptively simple beat-em-up nature and how the game wasn't afraid to punish you for mashing buttons with Knack often going down with a single hit from some enemies.
Could have done without some of the bosses, of course, as they were often more annoying than fun. But man, playing it on Easy would rob the game of the only worthwhile thing it has - the gameplay.
That's the thing though... they didn't do that. Normal in Knack is still waaaaay too difficult to be reasonable for young children, and can be legitimately frustrating at times even for a competent player. You still get peace'd out in 1 or 2 hits, checkpoints are still surprisingly far between, encounters are still frequently arranged to screw with the player and whiffing a single attack will still nearly always result in Knack sustaining a hit (of which 2 will kill him). The game may be more difficult on Hard, but the fundamental gameplay and considerations are all present and accounted for on the Normal difficulty too. It's not like Normal allows you to run around mashing buttons and bypassing the game's general system, and then the game becomes this diverse experience by upping the difficulty. The game is bad because it's bland, insanely repetitive, poorly arranged, and a whole lot of other negatives... "too easy by default" is not one of them, and additional difficulty is only of use to anyone that likes the game enough to actually want to play a lot more of it. Same as pretty much every other game in existence.
I know the game catches a good amount of shit here on GAF, but I think it's actually good that it does... because I honestly believe most people will hate their time with it, and if LTTP threads are only populated by a small minority that enjoyed it against all odds, then it creates a skewed perception that the game is a "hidden gem" that people are missing out on and should probably pay money to try. That's what I did, and I regret it entirely, lol.
The controls are fucking horrible in this game. you have to wait for every animation before moviing which results in cheap deaths like this: when you dodge, you cant move... at all... so you have to hope no enemies hit you during the dodge animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPzvCA6fr4Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPzvCA6fr4Y
cyber_ninja
Member
I enjoyed the hell out of this game and I don't care what everybody says. Nice graphics, likable characters, solid gameplay and tight controls; reminded me of old school games. Bring on the sequel and screw the haters.
the controls are anything BUT tight... like i said above, locking you in animations means horrible control over your character.
cyber_ninja
Member
Well, I did not have any troubles with controls, so they were tight for me. If you had an issue with them then its your problem pal. My experience was smooth and like I said I really liked this game.
spacemonkeynation
Member
The worst game I've played all generation. Granted I don't go out of my way to hunt down horrible experiences, but after some positive comments here on GAF and the incessant whining for it to hit PS+ I figured it might be worth the $10 or so that I paid. I was wrong.
wumster3000
Member
For me, it works perfectly.
Well yeah, never let the truth get in the way of a mediocre put-down.
I know, no fun allowed, etc.
Totally agree. Puppeteer was unique and clever. Knack was painfully bad across the board.
I bought this game on some sale like a year ago. Played the first level and didn't hate it, in fact it seemed like a fairly competent God of War sort of game for kids, but... I just had no desire to go back to it again for some reason, so I never picked it back up and played level 2.
Locking players into a move because of a set animation is pretty much the polar opposite of tight mechanics.
I dunno, the Souls series seems to be pretty popular.
NullPointer
Member
Or, knowing that in advance you learn not to commit to an attack unless you have a real opening and don't leave yourself exposed. Being able to instantly cancel out of any move or combo isn't the singular definition of tight controls.
It feels weird to make this argument specifically for Knack in this case, but its something I've seen a lot of over the years. You could say the same for plenty of other games as well.
Now some games do get this wrong. Like making a perfect parry in Mad Max could get you caught up in an animation that leaves you exposed to beat-downs from other enemies while you go through the motions. That's an example of animation priority getting in the way of player control, and being penalized for playing too well. Knack doesn't have that problem though.
Alex Navarro sums it up best:
Knack is a bad game not because it doesn't work, but because the way it's intended to work is devoid of anything resembling personality, creativity, or even a basic level of excitement. It's a product in the most soulless sense of the word, and it's not deserving of you or your family's time.
Knack is a bad game not because it doesn't work, but because the way it's intended to work is devoid of anything resembling personality, creativity, or even a basic level of excitement. It's a product in the most soulless sense of the word, and it's not deserving of you or your family's time.
Amazing.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Games a fun and enjoyable romp. Reminds me of a Pixar movie. Some cool moments, bosses, and even a tinch of platforming. Bring on Knack 2!
LyleLanley
Banned
Has Pixar fallen so far?
The Xtortionist
Member
Hard mode is a pretty legit challenge.
DAREALGUMMY
Member
Askherserenity
Member
This is the best. Thank you.
Rats Off To Ya
Banned
I really wanted to like this game. I got a PS4 at launch and tried to convince myself it was good. It wasn't.
Tizoc
Member
Not when they're monotonous and get boring after the first hour and merely boil down to dodge and get be in range to attack with your tiny short limbs as Knack. Not even the combat offers anything substantial.
The entire concept could've been reworked to be a platformer and it would still work.
Actually you wrote it better, that's how I feel too.
If anything the sections where is a giant or in his biggest size in a stage are rather fun because of how quickly and easy you can take out enemies, but those are so few and far between that it doesn't manage to save it. Plus Knack reverts to his mini form AT THE START OF EVERY CHAPTER.
Yes I know WHY but it is a bore to go about making him large again by playing another 15-30 mins. of enemy encounters that you could die at because you mistimed a jump or dodge, or the enemy RNG does something that causes you to die.
Doesn't help how mini Knack has hardly any range.
It was the opposite at first at least.
The game was received with mixed impressions. But it was inundated by the praise Lord Cerny, OMG the game is like Crash and the posts (even threads) of how it was outselling Super Mario 3D World, dancing gifs, avatar bets...
Then people played the game.
Guess some over hyping the game didn't helped.
The game is not a disaster, is just...there. It's decent. I always said that I would've enjoyed the game more only controlling small Knack (or a big Knack that didn't talked), focused on smaller areas and more of the elemental powers.
breakfuss
Member
Absolutely. Terrible ass game.
Tizoc
Member
Cerny worked on Crash and Spyro series, 2 of my fav. series from the PSOne era.
Here it was like he tried to justify a $60 game and made it longer than it had any right to.