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LTT...something: Knack

The more i played Knack the more I enjoyed it. At its core I think it it is a really fun game. However the character and world leave a bit to be desired. Would not mind another game based around a better character.... like maybe a Bandicoot?

This.

But man.. play it in easy ? worst advice ever, the game is fair enough in normal, and not hard, really, I can't understand why you where having a bad time in normal :s.
 

psk87

Neo Member
I'm trying to get the platinum on it now.

Whatever charm it had (and it did have some initially, in all fairness) is lost on the 5th playthrough trying to collect those damn diamond crystal relics. I've still only got 6!
 

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
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.
I seriously have to question gaffers that have difficulty playing Knack on Normal, but different discussion for a different time.

I hope I haven't been portraying Knack as a hidden gem. It's a good game at best. I agree that it's bland and can get repetitive. Totally understand why people don't like it. I don't have a horse in this race, but it's just annoying to see people endlessly pile on this game because he's made of garbage amirite?
 

Z3M0G

Member
I disagree with the OP. The challenge of the enemies was one of the best things about the game and made the enemies a joy to play. The large variety of enemies was the true star of the show for me...
 

EBreda

Member
It's easily the worst launch game and the last 2 generations, imo. It got boring and repetitive after 20 minutes.
I find the character design awful, game is cheap hits galore and tutorial is boring as hell.

I think anyone would be better skipping it, but that's me.
 

KiraXD

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.

lol no, the fact that you just dealt with bad controls doesnt make it my problem... its not an opinion that the controls locked your movement in certain animations... thats a fact... you found a way to enjoy it even though they were bad... so having tight controls is your opinion.
 
I never considered Knack a stellar title by any means, but it's structurally sound and has a bit to offer for fans of basic action games. And while I enjoyed my time with it, it's definitely a game I can see wearing thin for others. Still wish it'd get some kind of a second chance/sequel with a splash of exploration and some nice gravity defying platforming.

Solid game burnied underneath a lot of milquetoast design decisions.
 

breakfuss

Member
My first PS4 platinum :p

Wasn't the most amazing game ever, but i was an easy platinum and pretty to look at

Whenever someone has to qualify a game by how easy it is to obtain trophies, you know it SUCKS. And please, change that avatar.
 

Camjo-Z

Member
lol no, the fact that you just dealt with bad controls doesnt make it my problem... its not an opinion that the controls locked your movement in certain animations... thats a fact... you found a way to enjoy it even though they were bad... so having tight controls is your opinion.

As someone else mentioned, this is like claiming Souls games have bad controls because you can't cancel your attack animations. Being "locked into animations" is the entire point of the combat. If you could cancel every move instantly then the game would have no challenge at all. The point is to properly use your attacks so you're not left wide open.
 

Zambayoshi

Member
I really enjoyed the game on the hardest difficulty. There were some pretty BS deaths occasionally, particularly with enemies wielding projectile weapons, but all in all it was immensely challenging and rewarding, with an immediacy that a lot of games lack.

I got the platinum and found that the only grindy bits were collecting the different gems to unlock all the gemstone Knacks (Diamond Knack was particularly tiresome to get).

I'd play a sequel for sure :)
 

brawly

Member
Play this game on Easy, don't do the same mistake I made and play it on Normal or higher.

Knack is a 3D action game and one of the launch titles for the PS4. It has a few platforming segments but overall it's a simple action game.

When I started this game I had positive impressions of it, nice simple concept and Normal felt like a fine difficulty.
Controls were simple:
Square is Attack
X is Jump, press twice for double jump
O is special attacks
Right stck is the dodge move

Knack is pretty brittle when he is in his mini for, dying from 1 or 2 hits.As you pick up health his lifebar and size increase making his defense and attack damage higher.

Knack has some really nice visuals and the idea of this cute little guy turning gigantic and then into Godzilla-size behemoth is a fun concept.

But sadly the fun parts of the game are few and far between, and that doesn't help when the game just never wanted to fucking finish.

I really regret playing this on Normal, don't do the same mistake I did just and just play it on Easy, then feel free to replay on Normal unless you got bored of it like I just did.

Seriously the game becomes monotonous and repetitive after the first few hours and it keeps this up throughout the entirety of the game. I had reached the final boss and was so fed up with hi BS that I just quit the game then and there.

Would my opinion of the game be better if I played it on Easy? Doubtful, from looking at what I played of the game so far, this is a game that you really won't miss out on anything by not playing it, even the growing concept of Knack's size couldn't save it. Which is a shame.

If anything the game could appeal to younger players assuming thy don't get bored from its repetitiveness, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend this game, personally speaking.


r1xS4WP.gif


You need to play it on hard. Finishing enemies and bosses becomes satisfying. Otherwise you just button mash. Of course that's dull.
I dare all the nay-sayers here to finish this on hard.


/Cerny games

This is shitposting imo.
 
T

thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
I found it has a lot in common with the average Nintendo game. Poorly paced and entirely forgettable, but it's still fun and charming enough to keep me entertained for the time I played it.
 

Satch

Banned
i bought this game because people on gaf were talking it up and my god, this shit just aint good.

also in the second area of the game (? i think?? it was an area with like these green fields or something) every time you hopped down from a small cliff... it was a cutscene. of just him hopping off a ledge. like how come i cant just hop down off of the ledge myself? why does a cutscene have to do it. idk what it was about that but it has always stuck with me. every time somebody mentions Knack, my brain immediately goes to those cutscenes of me hopping off of a small ledge.
 

Camjo-Z

Member
i bought this game because people on gaf were talking it up and my god, this shit just aint good.

also in the second area of the game (? i think?? it was an area with like these green fields or something) every time you hopped down from a small cliff... it was a cutscene. of just him hopping off a ledge. like how come i cant just hop down off of the ledge myself? why does a cutscene have to do it. idk what it was about that but it has always stuck with me. every time somebody mentions Knack, my brain immediately goes to those cutscenes of me hopping off of a small ledge.

The cutscenes act as checkpoints, whenever you see one you know you've made progress in that area. Also, I suspect they specifically made them cutscenes rather than a simple flag or something because they break up the repetition.
 

KevinCow

Banned
You need to play it on hard. Finishing enemies and bosses becomes satisfying. Otherwise you just button mash. Of course that's dull.
I dare all the nay-sayers here to finish this on hard.

If a game isn't fun on Normal and people have to defend it by saying, "But you played it wrong!" then it's probably not a very good game.
 

brawly

Member
Nah, I'm gonna have to decline. Not because I'd be at all unable to do so... but because I simply wouldn't want to sacrifice another 10 or so hours on it.

I say you're unable, based on evidence.


If a game isn't fun on Normal and people have to defend it by saying, "But you played it wrong!" then it's probably not a very good game.

Well, for me it's the Dark Souls analogy. If that had an easy mode everyone who's asking for it would also say "well that was boring and repetitive. I was able to beat the game by button mashing". The core element of the game would get lost, which is observe, react and advance (or die).

But whatever, I've written this already in an older Knack thread and this here makes it once too many. I didn't love the game or anything, but it surprised me and entertained me on hard difficulty.
 

Synth

Member
I say you're unable, based on evidence.

What evidence? Me not liking the game?

I've had no problems playing many (good) action games on higher difficulty levels, such as Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta etc. When I say something along the lines of "Knack on Normal is way too difficult for young children", that doesn't mean I struggled to complete it... it just means that I recognise things that may cause others to. I say the same in regards to something like Driveclub, despite the fact that I beat the game rather easily in comparison to many others.

But sure, think what you want I guess... I'd rather that than replay the game tbh.
 
Knack is an important game.

When the next generation starts and early adopters are telling you how amazing a launch game is? Just reply "knack". It will not help, but you will be making an excellent point.

And so the circle of gaming will continue to spin and the torch will be handed down.

Oh and my kids thought it was shit too.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
Knack the character is literally made of pieces of garbage, which tells you everything you need to know about the game.
Hes made of relics, not garbage.

EDIT: Doh! Pressed last page on the forum threads by mistake, i thought this thread was on page 2. I didnt pay attention to the dates. I thought this was the Knack 2 thread.
 
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