Knack 2
Developer: Sony
Publisher: Sony
Platform: Playstation 4
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Price: $39.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
Knack was one of those titles that kind of introduced a lot of people to the Playstation 4. Sadly, the exclusive fell flat with audiences, and this little hero met the bargain bin in record time. Much like many other Sony branded properties, a second chance has come for the little hero that could – and Knack is back in Knack 2. Featuring a new co-op mode and a few new gameplay elements, can Knack make up for a bad first impression? Let’s find out.
Story
StoryThe story for Knack 2 is absolutely terrible. I really hate when games like this overdo the whole “breaking the forth wall” or incorporate too much modern pop-culture, but Knack 2 is in dire need of something as the story is boring and flat. Knack has to fight robots and goblins. That is the general story. The script is a bunch of Pixar rip-off characters following behind knack and stating “get him Knack” and “you’re going down” constantly. The progression is tedious, the story is long and uninteresting, and Knack is not likable. Sure, I am sure one or two might enjoy this plot, but why would even a child play Knack 2 when they can get more of a fun and interesting atmosphere out of just about any other themed title on the console? There is just no personality and sadly, the script takes no risk to even make itself overly cheesy to sell a line or cause a chuckle, leaving one very stagnant adventure ahead for those who choose to go in.
Gameplay
The gameplay has improved in some ways for Knack 2 compared to its processor. A platformer at heart, Knack has the player traverse linear stages, where he must time jumps and smash foes in order to go forward. The environment is built for Knack, and it does show as I never once had an issue going into small spaces or hopping up to the next stage as the design is competent and sound. It actually is satisfying to switch between Knack’s big form (which gets larger as you collect hundreds of totems) and the little Knack, and the utilization of the two forms by some of the more fast-paced stages in the game make platforming feel like the true highlight of the experience.
Combat is also decent, but a bit overly simple. Punch, kick, smash, and generic attacks can be leveled up and improved with a skill tree, but none feel all too necessary due to the game’s simplistic AI. Most enemies are rather basic, only performing one or two attacks to start with. Aside from parrying projectiles with a shield, it is rare that the player will have to do anything other than smash a few buttons. Now, some might say that this could be said about a lot of other titles in the genre and to that I say they would be right. However, Knack has so much more potential based on his character alone and the lack of imagination behind a game that should be bleeding with life and personality is damn near impossible to get over. This is also the sequel, so Knack, why are you so basic still?
The puzzles offer a bit more thought, switching up the standard jump and smash fare for a bit of brainwork, where Knack may be required to pull platforms to switches or play with timed doors in order to move on. I will say this was another great part of the game, as it seems the developers definitely knew how to build a stage in order to provide a little bit more depth to the locales that still strike me as interesting – despite the lack of background information given for each one you may explore. Co-op adds a bit of flavor as well with a second player able to join in, and it is a welcome addition that is definitely needed on the Playstation 4, so despite being in such a ho-hum game – there will be a lot of families and friends alike that are sure to find this feature to be their tipping point.
Visuals and Audio
Knack definitely takes advantage of the Playstation 4’s visuals and looks outstanding on the pro at 4k. The colors are excellent, the environments are animated and alive. Knack and his dopey humans however are ugly and look like cheap, overly smooth muppets. I hate to sound so bitter about that, but Knack 2 kind of reminds me when my mother bought me those budget Disney rip-offs like “Aladdin” and “Snow White”. Remember those off-putting characters that were hard to get over as you simply expected better? Well that is how I felt the whole time I was looking at the humans in this title, with their inflated heads that did not match their small-legged bodies.
The music in Knack is fine, yet forgettable. The voice acting even is passable in almost every way, but the dialogue just is not interesting enough to actually muster up much of a care to listen to the performances within. Again, it kind of is what it is. Maybe if I simply cared more, I would have spent more time listening in and humming along with the tunes or chuckling at Knack. Not one joke gave a chuckle. Not one moment made me feel emotion. Maybe a third entry will give me reason to go back and try to get some sort of immersion, but after one playthrough, I am quite fulfilled as it is.
Overall
OverallKnack 2 is a sequel to Knack. The story is there, but terribly boring. The visuals are wonderful, but come without substance. The combat and gameplay overall are also improved, but without a hook – meaning they sit on a fishing line submerged in a goldfish bowl, where the player waits and waits for that one big moment, but only feels still nothingness terms of general entertainment. Knack 2’s existence doesn’t make me mad as all games deserve a second chance. It does however serve as a nice talking piece of why you should avoid rebuilding a city when you just had bread crumbs to start with. Third time’s a charm?
When we last left the Guardians they had managed to end off an attack from Hala and traveled to the planet of Emnios, the location that the crew learned will reveal the secrets of the Eternity Forge. With Peter and Gamora setting foot on the planet, the two are engulfed in a bright light and the pair are once again sent back in the past to relive a memory of their past. For Peter this involves another experience with his mother as he gets a mix-tape copied for her while she buys medicine for her condition though for Gamora it is a much more revealing look at her past with Nebula.
Of course this all comes with the help of a new crew member that Gamora and Peter discover that not only happens to reveal how the crew members of the Milano have been reliving their memories but also gives us new information regarding the Eternity Forge and the power that it is capable of wielding. Those who’ve seen the most recent movie in the franchise will likely guess the identity of this character but thanks in part to her psychic powers as well as her complete lack of social skills adds a new layer of comedy to what is mostly a heavy-hitting episode.
That being said, Peter still often feels like he is the only person keeping the Guardians together, as the story takes a short break to have every character discuss their emotions with Peter in an attempt to quell the unrest in the group to give their new friend a clear mind to focus her efforts on finding the location of the biggest choice Telltale’s offered in Guardians so far. Whether this choice will really have the long lasting consequences it seems to have is yet to be seen of course but players will feel plenty of tension once this episode comes to an end, especially with the implications being what they are in both versions of this choice.
It is even worth noting that the soundtrack feels lackluster this time around thanks to the fact that numerous pieces of music are recycled throughout the episode, lacking the impact that new tunes had on previous episodes. One place where the voice actors really step up here comes with the amount of emotional variety they can deliver here thanks to the quality of the writing for this episode.
Picking up immediately after where the first episode leaves off we witness that the Admin has indescribable power at its disposal. Capable of plunging the entire world into eternal night, the Admin challenges Jesse once more to a series of trials that will prove that he has what “it” takes and with the defenses of Beacon Town destroyed, Jesse has no choice but to accept this challenge, bringing with him most of his compatriots from the Sea Temple adventure, a returning friend, and even a couple of unlikely faces that seem far less capable than the rest of the group.
As such, with a cliffhanger once again leaving Jesse and his friends’ fates unknown Telltale really has to try and tighten the reigns a bit more going forward so that this adventure feels like it has more weight and meaning to it rather than just a series of rushed events being strung together.
It is also interesting to note that there is a choice in this episode that temporarily separates the party into two groups and depending on which group Jesse follows, a different challenge will be awaiting them. This makes it so at least during this section players will have a unique feeling experience even if the story remains the same past this point.
As for the voice work, the cast continues to fit their roles quite nicely, especially in the case of Radar who plays a larger role this time around. The soundtrack for the episode is fairly standard and enjoyable though don’t expect anything too memorable.
