At the PlayStation Experience in Anaheim, California, Sony unveiled the trailer to Knack 2, and with it came co-op multiplayer.
Knack was released in 2013 as a launch title to the PlayStation 4. It was written and directed by PS4 architect Mark Cerny and developed by SCE Japan Studio. Because Knack was a brand new IP with promising visuals, PlayStation fans were eager to try out a brand new game. In many ways, Knack wasn’t just an original concept, but a demo to show off the power potential of the PS4. Because Knack, as a character, was made up of multiple moving objects, the game demonstrated that the PS4 could deal with hundreds of small objects at once.
While pretty, the game unfortunately received average reviews, and failed to capture audiences. The game currently sits at a 54 on Metacritic.
But criticisms have not deterred Sony. The company feels that with a second try it can do right by gamers.
Knack was meant to be a callback to puzzle-platformers of the PlayStation 2 generation. Games like Spyro and Jak and Daxter were commonly referenced in regards to Knack. It also had a 2.5D perspective, similar to the God of War franchise. That still seems to be the case with Knack 2. The game also introduces a second player, allowing on-screen co-op multiplayer. Gamers can work together to solve puzzles, beat up bad guys, and take charge of a mech to take down foes.
Overall, the game looks promising and hopefully SCE Japan Studio went back to the drawing board to rework some of the original’s shortcomings. Unfortunately, a release date was not given, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if the game is released sometime in 2017.
