In some ways, it’s almost impossible to review something like a Jackbox Party Pack. The formula relies so much on the people you’re with, the sense of humor you may or may not share, that any Jackbox game could go from a 2 to a 10 given the audience. Of course, the idea of Jackbox Games is to make a gaming party that everyone can witness and enjoy. The perfect icebreaker, so to speak, but in reality, because of the input the player has to give in things like Quiplash or Tee KO, it becomes difficult not to have to analyze the people you’re with as well.
This is even more true in the case of Jackbox Naughty Pack. A collection of three games – two of them classics with a distinctly NSFW twist – that attempt to do something Jackbox has never done before. While we’ve all typed answers into Quiplash that would no doubt land us on some sort of list, Jackbox has never really let loose and offered us questions that explore the concepts of sex and other adult content.
For a Brit, this was something he wasn’t aware of at first. Jackbox took a real risk, like your dad coming to you at 21 to give you a lecture on the birds and the bees; it almost seemed like a futile effort. We already know what sex is, Jackbox. It already covers half of my Quiplash answers, but oddly we don’t see any Quiplash XXX +18 here. Dirty Drawful and Fakin’ It All Night Long are returning classics, and while the former seems to miss the mark, the latter is a stroke of party game genius.
Pretend all night long (social deduction game) essentially works like a very dirty Among Us, without the tasks or murders. You raise your hand every time a message like “Would you like to rub yourself in ghostly ectoplasm?” is read. If you’re the imposter, you don’t know why everyone raises their hand or leaves it down, thus forcing you to defend yourself if you get caught. Even among strangers, it was a very fun experience at Gamescom and allowed one to quickly break down any barriers to adult content. Of course, it’s not all about sex. In each of the game modes, you can still find prompts that push the boat forward in other ways, such as asking you to insert an emoji showing which animal you think you could kick in the sun. It’s fine to throw in occasional breaks with NSFW content so Jackbox doesn’t seem like the typical guy trying to be cool but ends up being annoying.
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The Jackbox Naughty Pack is undoubtedly the party pack where the Jackbox influence is most evident. Due to the tight scope of this title with its ‘naughty’ atmosphere, there is more of a sense of tunnel vision in this game, both to its advantage and disadvantage. Dirty Drawing (Drawings and Puzzles), for example, it doesn’t seem like you necessarily need this filter or not. We were all drawing dicks and tits long before the Jackbox Naughty Pack came out, and so while Dirty Drawful is still fun, it’s the same enjoyment you get from a regular Drawful game. Laugh at your friends’ drawing skills and try to decipher what they might have meant by the hieroglyph on the screen in front of you. Seeing only three slots for this pack, it seems like Dirty Drawful hasn’t added much to the formula. However, it’s worth noting that Drawful is already a successful formula, so there’s very little to add.
Let me finishaside from that familiar name, is the only new game in this pack, and while it’s not an entirely new idea for Jackbox, as it’s a starter game similar to Talking Points and Patently Stupid, it’s a good one. Start with a lineup ranging from screwdrivers to birds, and you and your opponent will find out who’s the best at something. Let Me Finish also allows all members of a group to join in the debate by making their own arguments, throwing the general debate into utter chaos. You’ll get points depending on how persuasive you are. Or, as in most Jackbox games, you’ll get points for making your friends laugh. The wackiness of Let Me Finish and the directions it gives allow one to go to wild and sometimes dark places in search of comedy, and it proved to be a surprise favorite in this party pack, although I expected to be more drawn to the sexy twists of the classic games. Too bad they didn’t title it in Spanish with “Let Me Finish It”…
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The Jackbox Naughty Pack is a bold new step for the series. Much like sending a risqué Quiplash response to people you don’t really know, Jackbox Games is testing the waters here and sees the potential to launch a collection of Quiplash responses Party games for adults only. On the one hand, this limits the usual freedom you enjoy with other party packs (many of which include more than three games, by the way), but on the other hand, it feels like Jackbox is telling you to keep your hands off the game and be more free with your responses than you have been before when there are no minors in front of you. Honestly, though, the first sense is the one you feel the most when playing. It’s also the one most determined by who you’re playing with. You can’t show Dirty Drawful in front of grandma, unless your grandma’s a slut, I guess.
While it has its flaws, the Jackbox Naughty Pack is the first version of this NSFW twist on the traditional party pack formula. Jackbox Games didn’t get it 100% right with its first Party Pack, and the same can be said for the first Naughty Pack. But based on the lessons learned ten Party Packs later, it’s managed to create a solid addition to its lineup of social gathering games that allows you to get spicy without it getting awkward.
