A Deeper Look at the World of Knack on PS4

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A Deeper Look at the World of Knack on PS4

Knack, 02

Hello, everyone. We’re coming to the final stretch before the launch of PS4, as well as Knack, a game I’ve been honored to be a part of. It has been great working with the very talented folks at Japan Studio, not to mention Mark Cerny, a true living legend.

Our goal with Knack was to deliver a different kind of experience for PlayStation fans at launch, outside of the realm of gritty shooters and mature action games. Knack harkens back to the golden days of Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter, when controls were simpler, but challenges were large enough that those control schemes had to be mastered by anyone intending to finish the games. So, who better to create a game like that than one of the creative forces that brought Crash and Jak to life, Mark Cerny himself?

Knack has a lot to offer, so I’m excited to be able to share some new details on the story, and some of the cool transformations that Knack takes on during the game.

The Story

The story, of course, revolves around Knack, mankind’s secret weapon against the goblin threat. After an initial invasion by the goblins years prior, the two races have been living together on Earth, in separate societies. However, after the goblins invade a human settlement, Knack sets out to find the goblin hideout and discover how these primitive goblins got their hands on advanced tanks and airships.

Aiding Knack on his expedition: the Doctor (the inventor that brought Knack to life thanks to the mysterious power of the ancient relics), Lucas (the Doctor’s teenage assistant), Ryder (Lucas’s uncle, who is also a world-famous explorer), and Viktor (a billionaire industrialist who made his fortune mining the ancient relics that provide power for electricity, machinery, vehicles, and more).

Very early on in the story, we learn that Viktor has bigger ambitions, placing him at odds with Knack and crew. This means you’ll be facing not only the goblin soldiers, with their tanks, mechs, and airships, but Viktor’s own army of soldiers and robots as well.

The storyline will take players through a wide variety of gorgeous stages and environments, from caves to forests, cities to giant airships, all brought to life by the amazing artists at Japan Studio. And of course, no action platformer would be complete without some challenging boss battles. Don’t let the colorful graphics fool you — there’s plenty of challenge to be found within the world of Knack.

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There’s a lot more to the story, which is told through a feature film’s worth of fully mo-capped cutscenes (featuring some familiar voice acting talent). You’ll learn more about the origins of the mysterious ancient relics that power everything in the world, including Knack. Deeper mysteries abound that — as certain parties try to harness the true power of the relics — could threaten to put the whole world at risk.

The Transformative Powers of Knack

As you may have seen in our other previews, Knack is made of relics, and by absorbing more and more of them he can grow from his original 3-foot tall size to 6 feet tall, 15 feet tall, and even 30 feet tall. On their way to the goblin hideout, Knack makes his way through an ice cave and, thanks to Lucas, discovers the ability to absorb ice, just like relics, to make himself bigger and stronger.

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Knack, 07Knack, 05

This changes up the gameplay in different ways. For example, once Knack makes it out of the cave, the ice starts to melt and he’ll have to defeat tough enemies before he shrinks back down to a smaller size. Throughout the game, Knack will find he can absorb different kinds of materials, such as…

  • Metal Knack: an extremely powerful form, but being made of metal also means you’re magnetic… which can lead to some interesting problems!
  • Wood Knack: one of the biggest versions of Knack in the game. And while wood is easy to find, it does burn easily! That said, if you’re on fire, you can use that to access some extra areas…

We’ll be back soon to talk more about the world of Knack, including how we’re sharing the fun with our local 2-player co-op mode. In the meantime, you can pre-order Knack now via PSN and download it day one.

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69 Comments

30 Author Replies

  • Is there going to be a demo out on PSN? I know it’s going to be in the kiosks but some of us won’t be able to get to one of those. I really want to see more of the actual gameplay, so far most of what’s been shown makes it look like a relatively shallow brawler, is there more to it than that?

    • Hey Gorvi,

      There won’t be a demo at launch, but don’t let that discourage you – there will be plenty of footage floating around and a lot more kiosk stations for you to get hands on soon.

      And although the control scheme isn’t overly complicated, there’s platforming and puzzle elements to the gameplay as well as quite a hefty challenge when playing on normal mode. Hope you give it a shot!

  • Day 1 digital for me,and first game on my HD :D

  • This should replace Driveclub in the launch PS Plus Instant Collection.

  • Looks Good <3
    Day one confirm!

  • Thanks for the update. Have had this pre-ordered since June. Can’t wait! ^_^

    (Full Disclosure: I am playing Resogun first though. Mmmmmmm…Resogun. But then after that, totally playing Knack. <3 )

  • Buying this and Killzone. :D

    Can’t wait.

  • Looks beautiful! I’m getting this and Killzone at launch. :)

  • @coconutshinobi

    In Japan, we’re getting Knack as a free download with the “First Limited Pack,” along with an extra year’s warranty. I guess that’s Sony’s way of making up for launching here so late. ^.^

    http://www.jp.playstation.com/ps4/hardware/

  • I look forward to Knack! :)

  • Is the current build running smoothly already??

    • Hey MarinoBrea –

      The game runs very smoothly – between 30 and 60 fps all the way through, even with 2 players and lots of enemies on screen. Can’t wait until you get your hands on it!

  • Will there be any exclusives for being a pre-order?

    Can one player use the Vita and another use the DualShock 4 controller during a 2 player game?

    Also with remote play, if we go all digital can we switch games on the fly?
    After all we don’t need to physically switch a disc.

    I would also like to know when the US will get the Magma Red and Wave Blue DualShock 4 controllers.

    Because this game will let a second player use Robo-Knack I would like them to use one of these other controllers. I hope soon or else this game may remain a single player at our home unless you can use a Vita until the arrival of the other controllers.

    • Hey TimMalouff –

      You can absolutely play with a VITA as a second controller through remote play – I was playing the game this way yesterday and having a blast with a friend of mine. (It doesn’t skip a beat!)

      No idea about the other colored controllers but I hope we get them soon too!

  • Why is this game $60 on psn? I thought Sony said that publishers could decide their own price on games, if so why wouldn’t you make the digital version cheaper?

  • Both my gf and I are getting PS4’s and she is most excited for this game! I look forward to playing this with her and enjoying a great platformer along with all the shooters at launch. Thanks guys!

    • Thank you for being a great fan!
      I absolutely adore playing the game in co-op – I hope you have a great time!

  • I really wish Knack had replaced Drive Club on PS+ at launch. Unfortunately this game isnt worth $60 to me, but it looks like a ton of fun. I’ll get it down the road instead

  • Sony should sell this for $40. I mean Sly 4 sold well at $40…why is this $60?

  • Have had it pre-ordered for a while now. First game to be played on my PS4. I’m excited for something other than shooters and grim-dark stuff. Love it sometimes but I’ve had enough of it for now. Bring on Knack.

  • Oh man, I CANNOT wait to play this… it looks fantastic

    • Thank you very much! They team worked very hard to bring a fun, gorgeous, accessible character action game to the PS4, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

  • Is this the same team that did Puppeteer, Japan studio. For all the people reading this article, go buy puppeteer. Its a brilliant game, great platformer and full of charm. Knack didn’t catch my attention earlier, but since playing Puppeteer I’m much more interested and will no doubt buy it in time. It be a great game to play with the nephew, even though i probably end up enjoying it more. ;)

  • Nick,

    Thanks for the answer! Is there a hard mode that you can select from the start? I’m kind of a masochist like that. ;) This could be a really good co-op game to play with the kids, though obviously on normal.

    • My pleasure!

      There is a hard mode you can select, but I must warn you – it’s only for those looking for a brutally tough challenge! (There might even be a harder mode after that…)

      And it’s absolutely a great game to play co-op with friends and family – I highly suggest plugging in a second DualShock 4 and checking it out! (More on the co-op coming soon!)

  • @13 same here. Knack is way overpriced at $60 and its ridiculous that Sony decided to replace a retail game with a cheap indie for ps plus. But considering how poorly Sony NA chooses ps plus games now, i expected too much to think it would be any better next generation. :/

  • Already preorder to take advantage of the free 10$ ( so Knack is in theory 50$ right now ). I’m getting KZ:SF and AC4 at launch. I would have prefered Watch_dogs than AC4, but it’s probably for the better. I’m really excited for Nov 15th and the PS4 lauch!!! :)

  • Looking forward to this game, when I’m not playing Killzone that is.

    • I think Knack’s a great game to play in tandem with our other launch titles – just don’t expect it to be easy! Hope you enjoy it!

  • You Can (Not) Delay

  • What!!!!! This is a 2 player local COOP game? How did I miss this news? This just turned into a D1P for me. You are correct as well to say Mark Cerny is a living legend! :) Cannot wait to see what Mark and your team has in store for us on the PS4 with Knack! Thank you!

    • Absolutely there’s local Co-op – It’s my favorite way to play the game!

      (Some serious old-school Double Dragon vibe was going on for a friend and I when we were playing it recently – including the high difficulty!)

      Thanks for the kind words – can’t wait until you get your hands on it!

  • No reason for a demo to be available at Kiosks but not on PSN. Frankly, it shows me a lack of faith in the product on your part.

    Now, I understand business, so I know that you may use the argument of trying to capitalize on launch hype that may drive spontaneous sales of the game. I grant that; hell I may even fall pray to that, to be honest. Still, a lack of a demo at launch shows a lack of faith in your game, in my mind, at least.

    I don’t intend to buy this at launch, but I do intend to give it a shot later on down the road. That is unless I, too, get caught up in the launch hype. :P

    • When you’re working on a global release of a product, you do your best to give gamers as great of a taste of something as possible. For Knack, we had 3 separate demos across the course of the year, which is a lot, given that we’re also trying to complete the main game, push out a companion application and have everything set in time for release on a brand new console with exciting new features. (That Remote Play – man do I love it!)

      I can assure you, we there is no lack of faith in Knack – Mark and the team at Japan Studio have built a fantastic game, and I can’t wait until people have their hands on it.

      Give it a try – you’ll see what I mean!

  • I will get this and Killzone for launch. Although I was planning on getting Watch Dogs too :(

  • Thank you for not locking it at 30fps! If it’s ok for PC games to have variable framerates then why not console games as well. : )

  • i will buy this and killzone sf on launch day too. next year , i m gonna buy infamous ss and driveclub. i m big fan of sony’s world wide studios. they are among the best <3

  • My daughters eighth birthday is two days before I get my Knack launch bundle PS4 and this will be the first game she has ever played on a PlayStation console. Thanks for including a fun family game for the PS4 launch! I will also have Killzone: Shadow Fall for myself.

    • We love hearing this, and it’s an honor to have our game be the first one she plays! I promise you’ll both enjoy it!

      Thanks for the support!

  • Most anticipated next gen launch title. You don’t get 3D platformers anymore, or local coop games anymore.

  • Hi, Nick! Great post! I’m really looking forward to this, Killzone and Assassin’s Creed on launch day. :)

    Just one question, though: do you have any idea how much space on the HDD this game is going to take up? I’d like to buy all my games digitally this generation, but I just don’t know if that will be viable if the games are as massive as Killzone Shadow Fall supposedly is.

    • Hey CellBit – Knack’s a big game, both in length and scale! I would count on saving a bit of space on your HDD, although with that 500GB that comes packed-in, I don’t think you’ll have any problems!

      What’s great about the PS4 is that you can start playing a digital game before it has even finished downloading, and Knack’s a great example of this.

      Hope you enjoy it come launch day!

  • I’m really gonna have to read up some more on this game, very unique indeed. PS4 day 1 shipping I’m out

  • Getting this, Shadowfall, Battlefield 4 and Injustice.

    Knack’s definitely the first one I’m playing, platformers are always the best!

  • I thought that on PS4 there was no longer any need to make demos since they would just let you stream the game for a certain amount of time.

  • This will be my first purchase on PS4.

  • I wanna thank you for working extra hard to make this a launch day game. I’m not very big into multi player, and while I’m sure the big name FPS games will be a lot of fun, the appeal for them is mostly the online play. I always knew I was getting a PS4 at launch, I was just worried a bit about the games immediately available not interesting me. Without a doubt, this will be my first PS4 game :]

    • You’re so very welcome Oisterboy! The team really worked hard to give you a fantastic Day 1 experience – I think you’ll love it! Thank you for the support!

  • Hey Nick, its Rene from twitter, whats up man? happy to see you post here on the blog, i have Knack pre ordered it already, cant wait!!!! it will be the first game i will play on my ps4 then Killzone Shadow Fall and hopefully we dont have to wait too long to see more AAA titles from SCEA coming to the psvita.

    • Thanks Rene! Really appreciate the support as always, my friend! Keep that VITA ready – remote play for Knack is one fantastic experience!

      Thanks for being a great fan!

  • As mentioned by David Perry during the initial PS4 reveal figured that every PS4 game would have a demo without the need to make one with Gaikai tech on the PS Store.

    • Not sure about this, but I do know that we won’t have a stand-alone demo for the game at launch on PS4. Please try to find it on a retail kiosk though – it’s a great demo!

  • I’m close to pre-ordering this. I just want to wait a few more days to see if there are more hands-on previews first. I need to decide before the $10 back promotion ends on the 29th. My kids will absolutely love to play this co-op. I wish more developers would include local co-op, as it basically doubles our triples the chance that we’ll buy a game at full price.

    • Hey etscott –

      We’re expecting more preview coverage to be hitting soon, so please hold tight!

      I can tell you, however, that the game features a great, full-length campaign (about 13 hours) that’s completely playable in co-op – your kids will love it! It’s also got a very nice challenge to it, so if you’re looking for a game to sink your teeth into, you’ll be right at home.

      Thanks for the support!

  • @10 TimMalouff

    At Present the PS4 does not support the Vita as a second controller unless that functionality is provided by the developer.

    Honestly you would be better off getting another Dual Shock 4. As much as I like the Vita and can’t wait to use hte Remote Play Functionality of PS4, it is not a good substitute for a Dual Shock 3 or a Dual Shock 4.

  • @40 KazeEternal I do want another Dualshock controller just not another black one.

    That is why I was asking when the US will get the Magma Red and Wave Blue DualShock 4 controllers.

    Anone Know on the PSN Get $10 for Every $50 Spent if it includes purchases on the 29th?

    I ask because we will be getting another PSN store update on the 29th and wanted to know if we purchase on that day if it counts too.

  • I suppose it won’t be there for launch… I’ll hunt down a Knack demo in Canada though :)

  • lol, love it when Ryumoaner gets ignored, and rightly so….What kind of moron comments in such a rude manner and expects to get a response?

    I’d tell you to grow up, but you are in your 20’s….pathetic.

  • The game looks great and I look forward to playing this. But one little small thing bothers me about the game. Need online co-op. :( I don’t have anybody to play with unless it’s online. Want to enjoy the game with friends but without online, it wont be possible

  • I really want to love this game but it just doesn’t have the charm of Crash Bandicoot or Spyro.

  • At any point in time during the game are there any situations that will bring 20, 30, 50 or more enemies on the screen at once… Like Kameo?

    Kameo was one of my favorite platformers of all time… And this game reminds me quite a bit of it in style and simplicity of gameplay, which is a great thing.

    Thank you guys for bringing something like this to the PlayStation 4’s launch. I am one of them classic gamers from the Pong era who thinks every system launch needs a great platformer… And it looks like you guys are set to bring one to us.

    Thanks again!

  • @44 IrishDude2 Maybe there could be online co-op with remote play.

    From that Japanese video it looked like the girl was playing Knack at home and resumed the game at school for lunch. So I am assuming that remote play uses wifi and not bluetooth and is not like Google Chromecast where that have to be connected to the same router without client isolation in order to work.

  • I’m not a big fan of platformers myself but I’m deff grabbing this gorgeous-looking game. Nov 15 can’t come soon enough!!

  • The price of the PS4 in Brazil is theft! What justifies the XBox One that is also imported to be cheaper than the PS4? Sony you are mercenaries!!

  • Im getting on digital format! But i have a doubt.

    2 Ps4 with the same account and the same content (knack) can be played on both Ps4 systems @ the same time? Even on different accounts that dont have the game?

    I do this a lot on Ps3

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