Knack 2 Reviews: 11 Critical Reactions You Need To Know

10. Gameplay Is Just Diverse Enough

"What a transformation this new game is. It’s full of combat, but Knack’s arsenal of moves is greatly expanded with a punch flurry move, an extendable-arm power shot and more. This time there’s a 34-node upgrade tree that weaponizes Knack’s dodge, speeds up most of his moves and adds some new ones. Knack II is also full of platforming, but now levels are built around the new ability to shrink Knack down to child size at any time and then grow him back to whatever his large size is at the moment with the tap of a button." - Kotaku

"Knack's old trick of growing in size over the course of a few corridors still holds, but there are moments that border on invention here, such as the ransacking of a lab that involves moving mirrors about to reprogram its lasers, or a sequence that sees you climbing a big robot to punch its head off from the inside." - Eurogamer

"Knack 2’s platform-puzzle formulas are an amalgam of decades of evolution in platform games. Yes, they are familiar, but their familiarity is also manifested in the variety of things to do. This game is a bit like those old compendiums of board games, like chess, checkers and dominoes. You know what you're getting, but it's still kind of neat to have them all in one package." - Polygon

Though Knack 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel or really bring much new to the genre at all, it does feel much more assured than the first game, introducing a greater diversity of abilities for Knack both in terms of combat and platforming.

From the addition of a skill tree to more complex use of Knack's ability to shrink and grow himself, the game includes an enjoyable variety of different gameplay systems to prevent boredom from setting in during its surprisingly meaty campaign.

Sure, it could've done more, but it's a laudable step-up all the same.