Knack II
Knack II | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | SIE Japan Studio |
Publisher(s) | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Director(s) | Mark Cerny Takamitsu Iijima |
Producer(s) | Yusuke Watanabe Sho Numakura |
Programmer(s) | Tsuyoshi Murakami |
Artist(s) | Yoshiaki Yamaguchi |
Writer(s) | Marianne Krawczyk Mark Cerny |
Composer(s) | Anthony Willis |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 4 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Action, platformer |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Knack II is an action-platformer video game developed by SIE Japan Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4. It is the sequel to the 2013 game Knack, and was released worldwide in September 2017.
Gameplay
Knack II is an action-platformer game in which players control eponymous character Knack.[1] Knack can punch, kick, change size, deflect projectiles using a shield, and has other combat abilities.[1] It features a skill tree system where players can upgrade Knack's abilities by collecting Relic Energy found in levels.[1] The game can be played cooperatively as well.[2]
Development and release
Knack II was announced on 3 December 2016, at the PlayStation Experience event.[2] The game was developed by SIE Japan Studio.[3] Marianne Krawczyk, a writer of the God of War series of video games, joined the development team to write the story script of Knack II.[3] The game was released on 5 September 2017.[1] A free demo was released on 29 August 2017 on the PlayStation store, allowing players to try out the Monastery level either solo or cooperatively.[4]
Reception
Knack II received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[5] The game was largely considered to be an improvement over its predecessor.[6]
In Japan, Knack II did not rank in the Media Create Top 20 or Famitsu Top 30 sales charts upon release. Dengeki reported that the title sold 2106 units to chart as the 35th best selling title in its debut.[7] Comparatively, due to being included as a pack-in game with all initial PlayStation 4 consoles sold in the country, the original game moved 316,787 units in its first week.[8]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 69/100[5] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 5.5/10[9] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10[10] |
Game Informer | 8.25/10[11] |
GameSpot | 7/10[12] |
GamesRadar+ | [13] |
IGN | 7.2/10[14] |
Polygon | 7.5/10[15] |
VideoGamer.com | 5/10[16] |
References
- ^ a b c d Goldfarb, Andrew (4 December 2016). "PSX 2016: Knack 2 Tries to Fix the Shortcomings of the Original". IGN. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b Goldfarb, Andrew (3 December 2016). "PSX 2016: Knack 2 Announced". IGN. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ a b McWhertor, Michael (5 December 2016). "Knack 2's biggest surprise: It's a lot of fun". Polygon. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "A Free Knack 2 Demo Is Live in the US & Europe". PlayStation LifeStyle. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Knack II for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Knack 2 Review Roundup". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "【週間ソフト販売ランキング TOP50】『閃の軌跡III』が9.3万本で1位(9月25日~10月1日)". Dengeki. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "【週間ソフト販売ランキング TOP50】PS4本体は発売2日間で推定31.7万台を販売! 『龍が如く 維新!』は2機種で21万本強(2月17日~23日)". Dengeki. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ Carter, Chris (5 September 2017). "Review: Knack II". Destructoid. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Carsillo, Ray (5 September 2017). "Knack II review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (5 September 2017). "Growing Into Something Substantial - Knack II - PlayStation 4". Game Informer. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ D'Aprile, Jason (5 September 2017). "Knack 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Cowen, Nick (5 September 2017). "Knack 2 review: 'If it ain't broke, it's Knack(ered)'". GamesRadar. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Shea, Cam (5 September 2017). "Knack 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Campbell, Colin (5 September 2017). "Knack 2 review". Polygon. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Bell, Alice (5 September 2017). "Knack 2 review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 5 September 2017.