Despite his wobbly charisma, Knack (a golem capable of growing in size thanks to the relics around him) returns in new adventures, always accompanied by his best friend Lucas and his uncle Ryder. If the first episode made us face the terrible Gundahar, this new chapter of the saga takes us back a few years to understand how the Goblins were able to acquire overpowered ancient robots and which today threaten the safety of Humans. Once again, Knack 2 does not shine with its original scenario, although a few twists will restore some interest to the whole. Where the story really fails is in its pacing. The cutscenes lack punch and very often, we go from one scene to another without really knowing why. Indeed, if the scenario can be easily understood by all, it is nevertheless difficult to become attached to the hero and his companions. If Knack shows his expressions more than before, it is mainly his acolytes who are the problem. Not very useful to the unfolding of the story, the latter struggle to fulfill their roles as “comedians”. From then on, the conversations between Knack and Lucas become somewhat insipid and fail to immerse us in the scenario of this new episode. A small disappointment when the game offers us an original story that is reminiscent of certain Disney productions. Overall, the storyline appears more like a pretext for our hero to travel to the four corners of the planet to solve this mystery and knock out as many Goblins as possible.
KNACK ME IN FIVE!
In addition to a light and unexciting scenario, this new episode will above all have been an opportunity for Mark Cerny and his team to refine Knack's gameplay, both in combat and in exploration. Thus, to smash even more Goblins, Knack will now be able to extend his range of moves thanks to a skill tree. Very easy to understand, it will allow you to increase the power of your attacks while learning new techniques, which will prove very useful as you progress. If at the start, it will be necessary to be satisfied with basic blows, very quickly Knack will be able to follow up with devastating combos while protecting himself with the help of his energy shield. Despite this, the game retains its arduous difficulty and you'll still need to read enemy patterns to get through without too much of a mess.
Like the classics of beat'em all, the player must alternate between dodge phases and attack phases and the addition of the shield makes it possible to play with the timing of the counters. From now on, you will be able to repel ranged attacks by pressing the L1 button at the right time. But be careful, your protection will only be able to resist for a while, thus preventing any abuse. Nevertheless, if Knack 2 offers a real challenge at times, the game suffers from the same flaw as its predecessor: when Knack reaches a disproportionate size, the fights become so easy that there is practically no need to read the enemy's moves anymore. . On the other hand, when our hero peaks around 2-3 meters in height, the challenge becomes much more interesting and the fights gain in depth. We will still regret the disappearance of certain materials such as fire or electricity, which brought a little freshness to the different chapters of the first episode. Here, it will simply be necessary to be satisfied with a form of metal, a form of ice and another of crystal.
A REHEATED SAUSAGE
Unfortunately, these three transformations bring very little to the gameplay of the title. Apart from a special attack by long-pressing Square, these do not drastically change your gameplay experience during combat. Similarly, during the exploration phases, their use does not allow the puzzles to be renewed, which run out of steam quickly. Thus, throughout the adventure, the player will have to face repetitive puzzles without ever really having to rack their brains. However, the possibility of alternating between a tiny Knack and another giant brings a little freshness to the game. You will then have to reduce its size to overcome certain obstacles, but above all you will have to look all around you in order to find the multitudes of chests scattered throughout the levels of the game.
If in its gameplay, Knack 2 introduces some welcome novelties, the game however does not really manage to renew its formula and the impression of having a Knack 1.5 is very quickly felt.
Besides, don't hesitate to take your time when exploring a level in order to find as many chests as possible. These allow you to unlock new objects that will facilitate your progress but above all, you will be able to obtain new forms of combat for Knack. If in the idea it could have been really clever, there is a good chance that you will only benefit from it after having performed a first run of the game. In addition, the title alternates quite often between 3D phases and others in 2.5D which are reminiscent of games like Crash Bandicoot. Once again, if certain passages may cause you problems, platform game enthusiasts should not spend long on these portions of the game. Those less accustomed may have difficulty with space management and missteps will not be uncommon at first. Fortunately, the game offers regular checkpoints and very often, you will resume your game directly at the level of the portion that is causing you problems.
TWO IS ALWAYS BETTER
If in its gameplay, Knack 2 introduces some welcome novelties, the game however does not really manage to renew its formula and the impression of having a Knack 1.5 is very quickly felt. On the other hand, the game immediately gains interest when playing in local coop mode. At any time, a friend can join your game to support you with a second blue Knack. That's when things get interesting. Thus, you can combine certain attacks with your playing partner, which always offers more possibilities during combat. In addition, if your teammate lacks some experience you can always compensate for his lack of talent by offering him some of your relics so that he is bigger and therefore more powerful. A sensible choice on the part of the developers, who wish to offer a certain challenge to players accustomed to the genre while allowing novices to have fun. Unfortunately, if the fighting gains in intensity thanks to cooperation, it is difficult to say the same for the exploration phases. With two, the camera and its static shots can quickly become a problem and it is not uncommon for one of the players to find themselves out of our field of vision. To overcome this problem, lost players then find themselves teleported near their teammate, which tends to break the rhythm of the platforming phases. Very quickly, the most skilful player will take the lead and take care of these passages alone. Too bad, because overall the co-op mode is very pleasant but it still lacks that little something to really create a synergy between the players.
A REALIZATION AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PRICE?
On the technical side, Knack 2 manages to do a little better than its predecessor without transcending the genre. The environments are not unpleasant to the eye, far from it, but sorely lacking in originality. If each area (forest, city, snow-capped mountains, etc.) has its small effect at the start, you quickly realize the generic side of the environments. The many lighting effects that dot the game make everything a little prettier and the arrival of HDR on PS4 Pro brings a real plus to the game. On the other hand, if the latter does not shine with its environments, Knack's modeling remains still impressive. The multiple relics, which decompose when the hero becomes small again, always have their small effect and some attacks are sublimated. Thus, when you use the "rain of relics" combo in co-op mode, a multitude of relics shoot through the air to crash into enemies. Small appreciable details but which struggle to raise the whole game. Always good to know, the PS4 Pro also allows you to choose between a 4k / 30fps or 1080p / 60fps display if you do not have a suitable TV.
If your teammate lacks some experience you can always compensate for his lack of talent by offering him some of your relics so that he is bigger and therefore more powerful.
In terms of lifespan, Knack 2 remains on the bases of its elder since it will take you about 12 to 13 hours to finish the title without rushing too much. Searching for the remaining chests and adding the time trial mode makes it easy to reach 20 hours of play. However, the world of Knack 2 is a little too generic to push players to start a game over. In addition, the chests you miss will often be hidden in places impossible to spot with the naked eye, so you will have to rely on a special object that will alert you when a hiding place is nearby. Very quickly, the player no longer has the impression of searching since he will just have to wander in the different areas of the game, waiting for the magic signal. On the other hand, the time trial mode offers a real challenge to players who can try to beat their record while unlocking the latest talents from Knack's skill tree. If the latter is already very powerful when you arrive in the last chapters of the game, it is nothing compared to what it can do once its maximum potential has been reached. Improvements that will also be very useful for recovering all the medals hidden on the Knack 2 world map.
