Knack - PS4

There are a couple of reasons to sit up and pay attention to Knack. The first is that it’s the latest character platformer from the mind of legendary developer Mark Cerny, who was also instrumental in bringing Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and Mega Drive classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to life. It’s also a colourful, vibrant and accessible complement to the rest of PS4‘s launch titles.

There's a war going on in Knack - a war between goblins and humans. While that might sound like the premise of an epic fantasy game, Knack is anything but that. The titular hero is a robot, created by a doctor and his sidekick, Lucas, to fight the monsters. Knack is only three feet tall, but has a very special ability - he can absorb bits of the environment to change and grow!

In gameplay terms, it’s something of a cross between Katamari Damacy and God of War. As you smash objects and enemies and collect the fragments that spill out of them, Knack dynamically grows in size to the point where one city-based level (split in this demo between several segments) sees you start as a tiny pudgy creature and finish as a colossal beast, towering over buildings. The camera - which can’t be operated by the player, swooping from area to area - is pulled from God of War, and the combat channels that to a degree.

Knack offers up epic action with a loveable face the entire family can appreciate. more