Knack Reviews

Knack is ranked in the 12th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
3 / 10
Aug 20, 2018
Knack (2013) Review 3/10 video thumbnail
6.7 / 10.0
Sep 15, 2014

Knack is a pretty good game for those looking for a platformer with melee combat.

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6 / 10
Jul 7, 2014

The story is simple-yet-charming and the characters are all very obvious in their roles but make them no less likeable. However, the lack of innovation in the controls department on a new console in an exclusive game, the lack of any online multiplayer longevity and noticeable frame-rate drops make this a tough one to justify buying at full price. Thankfully, now it isn't necessary to worry about that as, at time of writing, it is very easily found for a much lower price and, thus, well worth a play through.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Jan 10, 2014

Knack has left me a little confused. While at times the game is awkward, annoying, uninspired, and even boring, it also manages to be fun, beautiful and rewarding at others. In the end though, if the question is would I recommend this game, the answer would probably be no. The local co-op is a great addition but not enough to sell the game (let alone a new console), while the gameplay is so old-fashioned you might as well dig out the PS1 and play Crash Bandicoot instead.

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GameSkinny
Fathoms_4209
Top Critic
Jan 10, 2014

While I can appreciate the goal of the developer, I can't close my eyes to the obvious.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 8, 2014

Knack may well get a lot of flak for not seeming to be a "true" next gen game, but what it is is a lot of fun, and those who are nostalgic for the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter should at least try it out as Knack follows along their path faithfully.

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Game Debate
Joffy S
Top Critic
5.5 / 10.0
Dec 31, 2013

Knack's enjoyable enough in its own right but it's undeniably as straight down the middle as you can get, unwavering in its commitment to the average. Not much comes across as particularly awful, but then again nothing in it's all that great. Those expecting a platforming adventure in a vein similar to Crash Bandicoot would do well to steer well clear.

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3.8 / 5.0
Dec 28, 2013

Knack is definitely a walk down memory lane and ironically the old school gaming mechanics used by Japan Studio work quite well on the PS4. However for a next-gen title, there is something lacking in the game and although the graphics do look nice, I was expecting a little more "wow" when it comes to the graphical abilities of this next-gen console, including some whacky new gameplay modes. However even though Knack didn't deliver on these two categories, there is something uniquely refreshing about this game that is quite addictive and very enjoyable, provided you don't get caught in a bout of controller rage.

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5 / 10.0
Dec 24, 2013

Knack is certainly not a game you'd want to introduce your brand new console purchase with, and though it's playable enough, it's not exactly something you'll want to.

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5 / 10.0
Dec 22, 2013

Knack seems to have no ambition beyond wowing you with rendering lots of objects, making it feel like an overlong tech demo. If parents are looking for some cartoon fun to keep the children occupied... well... the PlayStation 4 has a knack for playing blurays, too.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2013

Though it fails to live up to the promise of its biggest ideas, Knack is a good game, a solid a challenging old-school adventure for gamers young and old.

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Dec 10, 2013

How did it come to this? Knack is basically a risible film tie-in without a film to recommend it.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Dec 9, 2013

"Wow that little guy sounds like Barry White!"

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3.5 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2013

Knack is not only a miserably boring action game, but it features one of the worst heroes ever made. Knack is easy to kill, stupid looking and part of an adventure that will never end. This PlayStation 4 game is too difficult for kids and too generic for adults. It's a disappointing failure on just about every level.

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7 / 10
Dec 4, 2013

A charming adventure, Knack will also push your frustrations to the limit with the occasional cheap death and discouraging checkpoints that will force you to replay sections of each chapter. Combat can be broken down into punching everything in sight, but the challenge is welcomed for those looking for a throwback to classic games that weren't afraid about being labeled as hard.

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Dec 2, 2013

New IPs can be a risky proposition. Add a new console into the mix and the idea becomes even more daunting. Although I applaud the developers of Japan Studio for taking this risk, 'Knack' simply was unable to live up to expectations, and its difficulty negates its possibilities as a great family title. The story was less than exciting, the gameplay was repetitive, and the entire experience felt like one big missed opportunity as a flagship game for the PlayStation 4. 'Knack' has some interesting moments, but they were short lived and never fully realized. Gamers picking up a PlayStation 4 shouldn't cross 'Knack' off their list, but they may want to start with a different title.

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63 / 100
Dec 2, 2013

Knack fails to bring anything exciting to the next-gen table. The features it advertises either do what they claim and nothing more, or they have a glaring flaw dragging down the experience. Those looking for a reason to jump onto the next-gen bandwagon will find no reassurance from Knack.

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GameZone
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Dec 1, 2013

While I wish the player had more of a decision on when to grow and shrink in size or when to absorb other types of items, there's a simplicity to Knack that just works.

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5 / 10
Nov 29, 2013

There's some great design here, but it's joined by some poor choices and visuals. While children may have a blast, the difficulty and controls are a bit strange, as if they weren't designed with them in mind but everything else was. It's just utterly average and repetitive, despite there being an underlying potential for something superb.

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Guardian
Top Critic
Nov 28, 2013

This cute action-adventure effort adds a non-hardcore dimension to the PS4's launch line-up, but its graphics and gameplay fail to convince

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