Knack [PS4]

[patsu]

Thought I should update this thread.

Played the demo.

Visually, the demo is nothing special. It may even look like a (higher res) PS3 game to the casual eyes.
The camera is also fixed from section to section.

What I like about the demo is that the gameplay is robust. When the enemies spotted me, I get the sense that they were out to get me. I played against about 6-7 enemy types that work together loosely. The full game should have more.

The normal difficulty seems about right. I had to retry a few sections. The checkpoint for some sections are longer, so I had to be careful not to die.

Overall, it feels like a game I could pick up and play quickly and repeatedly. I kinda miss this type of games since I am a lot busier these days. No time to explore and investigate, or wait for story to brew.

It looks like I have some special moves. In the ice level, the player could start a whirlwind. The effect is definitely more weighty and "real" compared to the PS3 one in R&C. The dude who activated it accidentally was able to bend the path of a rolling rock.

The disperse and gather particle effect was instant. You'll use it to navigate tight spots or secret passages in the demo.

The control is tight. I was able to mix moves quite naturally (e.g., double jump and dash).

*If* the real levels are well designed, this may actually be the game I play most often on PS4 -- just because it's quick-to-get-into and engaging.

 

[djskribbles]

Thanks for your impressions.

This game is definitely on my watch list. I don't have it pre-ordered though... will wait for reviews.

 

[patsu]

Yeah I came away thinking that the enemy AI stands out. It's a stark contrast with the KZSF visual material so far.

Even when I jump, it is possible for the enemy archers to nail me. You have to be on your toes and keep moving, because the damage can be pretty big.

I see why Cerny mentioned this may be a difficult (old school) game, especially if they crank up the parameters for high level players. The caveat being I didn't use any special moves. I didn't know about them. I believe these are limited. I closed a dialog too quickly when I picked up a crystal.

 

[DieH@rd]

Impressions about framerate?

 

[patsu]

I am not sensitive to framerate.
I felt it played smoothly.

The settings are all rather simple. I would expect the game to run well in the final game.

EDIT:
I guess the special moves may be the most taxing. Looks fine so far.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/cerny-knack-can-be-someones-first-console-game-ever-but-prepare-to-die-22163

"On easy it's straightforward enough that someone can play it as their first console game ever," Cerny said. "Core gamers are the initial audience for PlayStation 4, but I just wanted to be sure there was something for the rest of the family."


"I know it looked cute, but [Crash Bandicoot] was a brutally difficult game," Cerny said. "Even on normal difficulty setting [Knack] is designed to be pretty challenging. Playtests show that there's roughly 20-30 deaths over the course of one level for typical core gamers."

In what seemed to be a fairly small gameplay sequence, Cerny himself offered that he frequently dies 5 times or more when playing on normal. With so many enemies, environmental hazards, and Knack's would-be small profile gamers should be warned. It might look like its for kids, but prepare to die.

Good news , i say. Is might actually turn out to be one of the more replayable and better game.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Some of the new screenshots out today look great:

I really like the game's look and it's a shame how dismissive a lot of people are of it.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I'm really interested in Knack again. It appealed to me from the first reveal because I've long been a fan of the classic Spyro, Crash, Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank third person romps, but it faded from my interest as it looked like a basic button masher, so I'm glad to hear more promising reports.

Coming from Cerny, who I don't think has been involved with a single game I haven't liked a lot, I should have had more faith! This is back to a day one purchase for me - replacing Watch Dogs

 

[Nesh]

Some of the new screenshots out today look great:

I really like the game's look and it's a shame how dismissive a lot of people are of it.

Surfaces look flat and the geometry is very low. This could have easily been mistaken with a PS3 game
Compared to what we are seeing in other next gen games this one is a disappointment in terms of visuals.
I wouldnt be surprised if it started off as a PS3 or Vita game

 

[HokutoNoKen]

A deeper look at the world of Knack (...90 minutes of fully mo-capped cinematic cutscenes...)

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2013/10/18/a-deeper-look-at-the-world-of-knack/

/ Ken

 

[patsu]

Surfaces look flat and the geometry is very low. This could have easily been mistaken with a PS3 game
Compared to what we are seeing in other next gen games this one is a disappointment in terms of visuals.
I wouldnt be surprised if it started off as a PS3 or Vita game

Yeah, production value seems lower. I think R&C has bigger scope than Knack.

Don't skip it because of the visuals yet. Try it out. I see some people say the game looks boring. In this case, I think Sony did a good job with the demo gameplay.

 

[Jedi2016]

The one thing that stands out about Knack's visuals is the lighting. The art style prevents it from being hyper-realistic (which is what I think the complaints are about), but the lighting is still pretty phenomenal, IMO.

 

[patsu]

It may very well be. The demo levels look ok but not eye-popping.

The screenshot above looks better. I didn't play that level.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

If you look at this shot, they definitely have a style going through all the visuals, but it isn't matching up during gameplay.

They should have chosen silhouttes that stand out in that isometric camera. and focussed on super clean IQ and lot of volumetric effects which add depth to the scene. Looking at that last shot with the mech, one just can't say its a PS4 game . What is taking up the resources? Why aren't they going crazy with the visuals? Doesn't look its just lack of time ! Lack of direction? Cerny not giving enough time?

If they managed the IQ and quality of that cutscene shot in-game , it would look great !

 

[patsu]

May be the special moves will introduce resource intensive effects.
I intend to see how many tornado Knack can start at the same time.

In any case, I personally won't be looking for graphic marvels in this game.

 

[Cjail]

Why aren't they going crazy with the visuals? Doesn't look its just lack of time ! Lack of direction? Cerny not giving enough time?

Form what I read and form what Cerny said in interviews they just don't want Knack to be a graphic power.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

May be the special moves will introduce resource intensive effects.
I intend to see how many tornado Knack can start at the same time.

But Deep Down has intensive fluid simulations and has four of those tornadoes at a time too, but it still manages to look the best !

Form what I read and form what Cerny said in interviews they just don't want Knack to be a graphic power.

Why would a game "not want to look good" ? Why not? If it can look good, if it has the hardware to run on, why would a dev not make it look good? If th iPad would allow for more polys, I would have definitely made the tree in my game much more smoother. I already have the high poly model !
This has the potential to look like a next gen Ratchet game, which would make gamers run in droves to buy it, why are they letting that opportunity go?

Is there something in this game which is very heavy on calculations and taking u ll the power and RAM of the ps4? Is th eKnack model "with multiple parts" so heavy on the hardware?

Latest trailer, btw, my gamer feeling says game is good:

 

[Arwin]

If it doesn't look good, you can in general blame a large part of that on the artists involved in the project, and a little bit on the programmers involved in the project.

 

[Cjail]

@Renegade

He wants the game to look good but he is simply not pushing the graphics like other AAA tiles are.
Knack per his admission it's a small title and he says that compared to other AAA developers his team is definitely small but this doesn't mean it will be an abysmally poor looking game.
Knack it's really a "E for everyone" kind of game that simply wants to re-incarnate the spirit of Crash, Spyro and Jak and Daxter and other games are definitely more ambitious but I don't think this it's a negative thing.

 

[Sigfried1977]

I have absolutely no issues with the general look of the game. It's just that the gameplay clips I've seen thus far all looked incredibly one-note and bland: run along a narrow path, punch things and enter the occasional hidden room. Trying to bring back the spirit of mascot platformers is all well and good, but J&D as well and R&C did just that without neglecting to update the gameplay.