During their Playstation Meeting last night, Sony announced Knack, a brand new 3D platformer developed exclusively for the Playstation 4. Knack will be Spear-headed by esteemed game designer Mark Cerny, who has worked on games such as 1984’s Marble Madness, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, Uncharted, Killzone and God of War III.
Speaking on the Official Playstation Blog, Mark Cenry wrote;
It was a great pleasure to be able to introduce the title at the PlayStation Meeting in New York. With our new project, Knack, we are really trying to take advantage of everything that the PlayStation 4 supports, from the graphics capabilities of the platform to the physics simulation necessary to handle our very unique hero. Over the years I’ve been involved in a number of character-based action titles – Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank – and with the gameplay of Knack, we’re trying to focus on the essential fun behind the action/platform gameplay. I’m hoping that we can make something that excites those that played the classic games back in the day, as well as something that attracts new fans to the genre.
I’m sure you saw a lot of things in the trailer and might be wondering what exactly the game is all about.
The Doctor (a not-so-mad scientist) studied ancient relics from a long lost civilization for many years, and finally found a way to bind them together and give them consciousness. The result is Knack, a creature with mysterious powers – for one, he can incorporate more relics into his body as he finds them, which allows him to transform from a three-foot tall creature into a gigantic wrecking machine.
During the game Knack also discovers that he has a skill (in other words, a knack!) that allows him to incorporate ice, metal and other substances into his body, giving him new abilities from level to level. The result is gameplay which is a little bit like Crash Bandicoot, and a little bit like Katamari Damacy, in that the Knack can get quite large indeed. There’s also a touch of God of War in there, in that there is an epic feel to the game in places.
As for the story, mankind is threatened by a resurgent goblin army and Knack steps forward to protect them – until it becomes clear that an even greater danger is posed by elements of the human community.
Right now we’re hard at work on the game and developing for PlayStation 4. It has been an incredible opportunity to contribute this early on to what’s shaping up to be a very interesting year for the industry. This is just a small taste of what’s in store and you’ll be hearing more about Knack and how it plays on PS4 very soon.
As a fan of 3D Platformers I’m very excited to see what Knack can bring to the table, especially with Mark Cenry in the Director’s chair. Expect to see more details on the game at this year’s E3 but until then check out the trailer.
