A new entry in Sony's "Conversations with Creators" series features PlayStation 4 lead system architect Mark Cerny and Japan Studio's Yusuke Watanabe discussing Knack.

Knack is a tiny robot with the ability to absorb parts into his body, and the material these parts are comprised of determines how he will interact with the environment, says Cerny. When exposed to fire, for instance, icy parts will melt and wooden parts will burn. Both Cerny and Watanabe expressed fondness for Knack's death animation, in which he explodes into all of his different parts.

Knack is aimed at two disparate audiences, say the two: Older fans who may remember playing games like Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter who will find the game's Hard setting very challenging, and young newcomers. Watanabe says that the team used a 3D printer to create an extra-large version of the DualShock 3 controller to imagine how a child would feel holding the controller in his or her hands. The team then used that to streamline and simplify the buttons, he says.

Knack will be a launch title on PlayStation 4 when it launches in North America on Nov. 15 and Nov. 29 in Europe.