2014.10: KNACK

Completed in 11hrs:37mins on Hard

This game is a good start to something that could have been much more. The charming art style and the idea of growing your character through parts is a good one. The concept really comes alive when it takes you a tough fight to beat an enemy, then at some other point you face that enemy as bigger Knack and basically just walk through them. It's very fun and satisfying.

But other than that it's a drawn out and somewhat tedious adventure. There are way too many chapters for a start, only a handful giving a good sense of context and adventure. And the game does very little to surprise you, as it's always one are of fights after another. I also have to mention frame rate is very, very unstable and in rare instances can cost you a fight (note I said rare but still annoying).

The good thing is, on Hard, the fight mechanics get interesting. It's all about observing your enemies, learning their move patterns and successfully reacting to their moves and finding rooms to attack. There is very little room for mistake on Hard as most enemies can take you down in one or two hits. So you've got to make sure your wits are about you.
Unfortunately the tensions of these fight mechanics wears thin after a while.

You can also build gadgets, which is accomplished by finding secret rooms with treasure chests that give you part of a gadget. There is a unique system here in that if you don't want what you found in the treasure, the game gives you a chance to instead collect one of the items your friends got in that treasure. It adds a very successful community feel to the game.

So overall, wish it was a bit more surprising, and had a bit less chapters, but still, an OK game to spend some time with and I can imagine if you are younger or play co-op, you can have a more enjoyable experience with it.

But for me, a right down the middle OK score of - 5/10.