During our coverage to 2013 Comic Con International in San Diego, we stop by the Sony booth to meet with our reps, and get more hands-on time with the upcoming Playstation 4 console. I had played the system during E3 but this time I was going to try the new game Knack which was being demoed along with the puzzle game Octodad. Knack is a robot who would fit right alongside Clank very well aside from the fact that he is definitely a creature of action. In my demo, I had to battle Goblins in an ice cave who were very good at firing volleys of arrows as well as hammering down tremendous amounts of damage upon anyone who got in their path.
A quick flick of the right thumb control, will send knack quickly to the side and allow him to get out of the way of danger. However since this was an ice surface there is an element of slide and glide to it that had to be factored in. Since Knack is diminutive and size initially, he must smash rocks, ice, and other obstacles in order to allow the debris to become part of his body. This not only enhances his size, but gives Knack a greater degree of protection from enemy attacks.
After making my way through one area, I would jump to the next and then in a very fun moment, slid down an ice embankment towards the enemies. Knack was able to defeat enemies with a few well-placed blows but struggled mightily in one segment where well-placed archers on a ledge fired all volleys of three widespread arrows at a time. When engaged in combat below, this not only made things very tricky but limited the available space in which I had to evade the oncoming arrow attacks.
Another segment had Knack traveling through a town taken on all manner of bad guys. This segment had elements of the giant monster on the loose genre such as Godzilla and King Kong. Since the Goblins have declared war on humanity, it is up to Knack to use his abilities to save the day.
The game is developed by Sony and was a lot of fun to play. When I first saw the title announced back in February I have thought that perhaps it was best suited to either younger gamers or fans of the Ratchet and Clank series. However I was pleasantly surprised after my gameplay time with how much fun I had with the game and how much I look forward to being able to see the special abilities and other surprises in the game when it is released. Graphically it looked sharp and bright and had very solid responses to my commands. While it does not push the graphical envelope what it does provide is a very bright and enjoyable adventure game that should be suitable for every member of the family to play.
The Dual Shock 4 controller required no learning curve at all is anybody who is ever used any of the previous Playstation controls will be up and running in no time at all. The standard movements were done using the left and right control sticks and the jumping, combat , and such were done using the traditional buttons. Although very easy to learn the game was challenging and will offer enjoyment to even more seasoned gamers.
I asked about multiplayer and co-op features in the game and was told that currently that information has not yet been announced. One thing about the game is clear is that if you are fan of this genre, then this is a definite must own for any early adopters of the Playstation 4 console.
