The Jackbox Party Pack review: Just enough of a good thing

The Jackbox Party Pack review: Just enough of a good thing

“It’s a dick! It’s a dick! No, wait, it’s an ice cream cone!”

It’s not often we hear that sentence, but when we do it’s probably thanks to the game Drawful. One of the games that comes as a part of the Jackbox Party Pack, Drawful was a blast during our recent pre-Christmas get-together with friends. Phrases like the one above were often yelled out, followed usually by giggles and finger pointing in what ended up being a raucous play session that lasted several hours.

The Jackbox Party Pack was a hit, but it wasn’t for the reason you might think.

The Jackbox home screen resembles stacked board games
The Jackbox home screen resembles stacked board games

The Party Pack is a collection of five multiplayer games developed by Jackbox Games. Formerly known as Jellyvision, the company is behind the venerable You Don’t Know Jack series of party trivia, with the latest (YDKJ 2015) included in the heart of the the package.

The big change this time around, and at the core of the other included games comes as well, somes with the advancement of modern online technology. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One may have been on the market for a year now, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has multiple controllers to play the game with. Technology has come a long way in the few short years since the last release of the game, and Jackbox understand that, allowing players to connect their phones to the game’s website, punch in a code, and join the fun. Up to 100(!) people can play, whether it’s in the same room or across the world.

In fact, I played multiple sessions where my opponents were both in the room with me and online in other parts of the US. They just need to punch in the same code and the game syncs up automatically.

That’s it. It’s super easy, and works extremely well. Everyone can play, regardless of level of video game experience.

My iPhone's screen (at right) in comparison to what was seen on the TV
My iPhone’s screen (at right) in comparison to what was seen on the TV

In Jack 2015, the controls let us select our answers quickly. There’s minimal lag, especially during the all-important timed sections. Is it magic? Who knows. As for the game, it’s the same Jack that we’ve played over the years — eleven rounds including the final — albeit with updated interstitials between the new questions.

Fibbage XL is an update to the game that released earlier this year, now providing 50% more questions. The game asks us to create purposefully wrong answers that get displayed alongside the correct ones, and as we make our selections we’re given points based on who selects what. Though Jack was classic trivia fun at our event, it was Fibbage that was received extremely well. It’s only limited by our creativity in the answers we give. That can inadvertently lead to a friends consistently dropping in dick jokes and bathroom humor, so be prepared for that.

Drawful is another of the games that is perfect party fodder. It puts a stress test on the mobile software that Jackbox is employing, as we’re tasked with drawing pictures in our browser. Speed and artistic ability don’t always go well together, creating an even playing field amongst those who are artists and those who can’t draw to save their lives. That’s when ice cream cones start to look like dicks.

Word Spud and Lie Swatter, on the other hand, feel overly simple and forgettable. The interaction is nothing more than “is this true or not” (Lie Swatter) or “do you like this answer or not” (Word Spud). They’re not going to light parties on fire.

Lie Swatter is as simple a trivia game as possible.
Lie Swatter is as simple and uninspired a trivia game as possible.

Minimalistic simplicity does seem to be something prevalent in all of the included games. Presentation is often nothing more than a blank screen with a question, timer, and contestant names. Though the experiences don’t need explosions or particle physics or the latest development technology, they tend to feel bland after staring at them for an hour. Though this is the case with the majority of trivia games on the planet, I’d have hoped that with the advances in technology and design that we’d have had even slight growth in the genre.

The holidays are the perfect time for party games. With many of us getting together with families to celebrate, video games naturally tend to be the things that keep us happily occupied. While it’s easy to question the value based on overall presentation and lack of real depth — and the $24.99 price point could make players think twice in relation to that — with five games included in the package, most of us will gravitate towards two or three that we enjoy any way. The Jackbox Party Pack could be a great addition to the party times, and the low barrier to entry makes the games extremely easy and enjoyable to jump in to. Heck, it may all be worth it just to witness a friend’s wife shout obscenities over and over again.

This review is based on a download code for The Jackbox Party Pack for PlayStation 4 provided to SideQuesting by the publisher. The game was played both online and in a group setting.