in the junkopiacoming in this fall The Jackbox Party Pack 9, one’s rubbish is another’s more expensive rubbish! We’re excited to share today’s launch of the game with Xbox fans looking for their next favorite party game.
At the beginning of junkopia, Players are unfortunate humans who have been turned into frogs by a deranged wizard. He may have distressed you a bit, but he’s also cheering you on! This wizard needs your help. He loves weird old human things, but he hates their boring backstories. That’s why he needs you to invent some fun facts about her.
Our human/frog heroes embark on a quest in which they must purchase a strange and mysterious item, give it an amusing backstory, and then have it appraised for resale. The player with the highest winning margin wins the right to transform back into their human form.
Behind the gameplay
In the making junkopia, the team wanted players to have creative freedom without it feeling overwhelming. Whether you’re a gamer who prefers guidance when writing silly stories, or you prefer total freedom, this game was designed for you.
The articles themselves are images of mostly real objects curated by the team. During the game you sell your item by giving it origin stories and fun facts. The game prepares you for this by having blank-fill-in prompts to help you get started, such as:
- A simple explanation for why the face is missing is ______.
- Engraved on the back is ______.
- It was originally designed to ______.
There’s also the option of writing your own fact from scratch if you’re that inspired.
According to Editor-in-Chief Liz Anderson, items that have made it into the game are familiar, like you would actually find them at an antiques auction, but slightly “off-the-beaten-track” – evocative, weird, or wild enough to make the player justify why this thing is what it is.
As with other Jackbox titles like Obviously stupid, you have the option to present your first-hand item for bidding or let the game share your facts for you. If your article is expected to bring in t he most profit, POOF, you’re human again. Although, based on how cute these frogs are, is a loss really a loss?
Game Director Spencer Ham came up with the idea for this game two years ago. An avid antique dealer, he was inspired to create a jackbox game centered around the truly bizarre items he would see at various antique centers around the Midwest.
The world of Junktopia
junkopia exists in a world full of magical moments and spells that fail. The game takes place in a ramshackle curio shop held together by powerful magic and duct tape. Lots of duct tape.
To create an environment where the wizard is both your enemy and your friend, lead artist Owen Watson paid attention Zelda: The Wand of GamelonMerlin off The Sword and the Stone, Rain & Stimpyand fuzzy lumpkins The Powerpuff Girls for inspiration. To balance the wizard’s mischievous nature, artist Steff Egan created his extra cute frog sidekick and the frog avatars that represent the players.
Players won’t be able to stop grooving along to the in-game music created by Elise Wattman. The music was inspired by John Hartford, Jaco Pastorius, First Aid Kit, Flatt & Scruggs and Bela Fleck. The result is what we call “Enchanted Bluegrass”! We are happy to bring junkopia
