Platformers started to invade the year with Yooka-Laylee and Little Nightmares, and certainly Knack II has started to kick in the shelves earlier today. However, is it best to pick up the game though? Even if we haven’t received any pre-release code for SIE Japan Studios’ newest addition to the Knack franchise, we have gathered some of the biggest critics in the industry to see what they have to say about the sequel.
While, we did get our hands on the demo build presented at PlayStation Experience 2017 South East Asia in Malaysia, it was promising and Knack II delivered one of the most enjoyable platformer adventures this year.
However, this might not be the case for some critics:
IGN – 7.2 / 10
“Knack 2 is lacking in a number of areas, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. The pacing is spot-on, the combat satisfying and the gameplay varied. Co-op is genuinely good fun too, and most definitely the best way for younger gamers to get into the action. Knack 2 is definitely a step up from the original, then, but until the writing and characterisation improve drastically, it’s not going to be a true first party titan.” – Cam Shea, full review
Destructoid – 5.5 / 10
“Knack II has the bones of a good platformer and a hint of charm but it just doesn’t execute. I’m not sure what the Knack series attempted to accomplish, but after a sequel, it stands as one of the most missable franchises Sony has ever crafted. Maybe one day Sony can combine both of these together on the PS5 as a free PS Plus item and call it the “Knack Pack.” That one’s free.” Chris Carter, full review
VideoGamer – 5 / 10
“Knack 2 doesn’t have exactly the same problems as Knack, it’s just moved things into different places and ended up mostly the same. Which is at least emblematic of Knack himself, I suppose.” – Alice Bell, full review
GamesRadar+ – 3 / 5
“An experience that feels thin and repetitive in spite of its length and new additions, Knack 2 feels like a palette cleanser rather than a main course.” – Sam Loveridge, full review
As for now, we can not give out a full verdict since we haven’t touched the full game yet. Until Sony provides us with a review copy or one of our writers decides to grab the game, then we won’t have anything to say about Knack II just yet.