The party continues for Jackbox Games. But is it still a rager?
JackBox Games has a curious history. The company got its start making the irreverent — and hilarious — You Don’t Know Jack trivia games. Now they’re branching out into all kinds of party territory with the Jackbox Party Pack, which has introduced us to such favorites as Fibbage, Quiplash, and Trivia Murder Party.
The party continues with The Jackbox Party Pack 6. If you’re a fan of the series, you know what to expect. There’s not much here in the way of single-player content. However, host a stream where viewers can jump in, or invite some family and friends over for an excellent local multiplayer session, and you have an instant party on your hands. That’s not to say every game is going to be a favorite, but it’s a compilation that continues Jackbox’s steady trend of entertainment.
Considering there’s not any Jack or Quiplash game here, the big headliner is Trivia Murder Party 2. This game became a cult classic with its introduction a while back, and the sequel follows suit nicely. Your job is to “outlast” other opponents with mini-games and questions. It’s a bit on the “spooky” side, but it’s Halloween season, so it fits right in perfectly. And the additional mini-games are neat, offering better chances of survival and reward — though there will still be death.
Then we have Dictionarium. It’s an entertaining word game that rides on the same vibe as the Quiplash games. It asks users to come up with definitions of words they’ve never really heard of. After they put in their meanings, they see what it is and watches it get used in a sentence. This particular game is a lot of fun, depending on how wild your friends get with their answers. Make sure to play this one with a frivolous group.
But the real treat here, for some anyway, will be Push the Button. This loud, creative party game has you hunting down aliens hiding amongst humans. It’s a game of prompts and trying to fool people if you’re the actual alien, but it plays out wonderfully with a captain leading the charge and answers that may or may not be what they seem. It also involves a bit of drawing, so those of you that got into the Drawful games will feel right at home here.
Next up is Joke City, a game that’s a fun curiosity, but not a long-term favorite. You’re putting together jokes with a Mad Vibes-style format, adding some freestyle to otherwise standard material. Some of the answers are funny, depending once again on the company you have with you. But, for the most part, you might play this a couple of times and then go back to the other offerings. It’s decent, but I prefer the giant robot battles from Mad Verse City.
Finally, there are Role Models. This one presents a series of roles and then lets the group decide who would be the best fit for each one. The more accurate they are with their guesses, the more points they earn. This one doesn’t have a fresh amount of creativity as other games, but it is pretty funny learning who might think you’d be ideal for buying a car during a mid-life crisis. (It’s not me, honest.)
Overall, this batch of games is quite good. Some aren’t as great as others, but there’s a balance here that creates fun for hours on end, particularly with Trivia Murder Party 2, Push the Button, and Dictionarium. Don’t be surprised if those last two grow to be favorites, and we see sequels for them sometimes during, I don’t know, Jackbox Party Pack 9? It’s probably coming.
The presentation is set up for each game but works just as efficiently with previous releases. The visual overlay is delightful, particularly with Trivia Murder Party 2, which is just as wild as the first. I also liked the set-up of Push the Button with its draw spaces and interface. The voice acting is a blast, too.
As for players, well, again, Jackbox Party Pack 6 is not built to be a solo affair. But you probably should know that by now. However, it works beautifully with streamers; and it’s a gas with local groups, connecting right away to your mobile devices and letting you play along with ease.
If your model doesn’t break, don’t fix it. That’s the Jackbox logic here, and the sixth chapter in its party series pays off as a result. It’s not a perfect compilation, but Jackbox Party Pack 6 has fun in spades to offer for the right group or streamer. Now get out there and work on your verbiage.
(A review code for The Jackbox Party Pack 6 was provided by Jackbox Games.)
Published: Oct 18, 2019 04:41 am