Let’s be honest, previewing a Jackbox Party Pack is always a bit of a gamble. You’re essentially sampling five distinct games, and there’s no guarantee that any of them will resonate with you. My personal experience often follows a familiar pattern: a friend picks up a pack, I try one game during an evening gathering, and if it clicks, I might add it to my collection. This has led to a diverse range of Jackbox packs in my library over the years (including 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and a few others), most of which I genuinely enjoy. However, there’s always that nagging feeling that a particular pack might be a miss.
Unfortunately, after playing two games from Jackbox Party Pack 12, I’m leaning towards it being one of those misses for me. Now, before you jump to conclusions, let me preface this by saying that my experience was far from ideal: I was playing with strangers, under the pressure of a preview session, and trying to take notes. This might not be the typical Jackbox environment, where laughter and camaraderie flow freely after a few rounds.
The first game I tried was “Debate and Switch.” The premise is simple: players are paired up and assigned opposing sides in a debate about a ludicrous topic. Each side gets 30 seconds to argue their point before the other players vote on which argument was more convincing. While the concept is amusing, the execution felt somewhat lacking. The humor relies heavily on individual players being naturally funny and able to improvise witty arguments on the spot. For me, who isn’s particularly fond of debate, this was a miss.
Next up was “Hyperface.” This game challenges you to manipulate faces – either your own or those of famous paintings – using various image-warping tools to create reactions appropriate for given prompts. While I created some silly distortions of dog faces and ancient statues, the experience felt somewhat superficial. The prompts were often over-the-top, and the lack of meaningful escalation left me wanting more. It was all over quickly.
So, what’s the difference between these games and the Jackbox classics that I adore? Games like Tee K.O., Fibbage, Drawful, Trivia Murder Party, and Quiplash are staples at my gatherings, especially with groups who might not be comfortable with more complex video games. And there are other personal favorites: Job Job, Bomb Corp, Talking Points, and Split the Room. The key difference, I believe, lies in how these games encourage collaboration and improvisation. In Talking Points, another player chooses your slide content, forcing you to improvise and often contributing humor of their own. Drawful, Fibbage, and Split the Room are less about individual jokes and more about getting inside other people’s heads. Tee K.O. lets everyone contribute pieces of a T-shirt design, spreading responsibility for the entertainment.
I suspect that both “Debate and Switch” and “Hyperface” rely too heavily on individual players being naturally funny or entertaining. While all Jackbox games provide prompts to help you out, the best ones encourage collaboration and improvisation. Perhaps if I had played more rounds, grown more comfortable with the rules, or simply been in a different environment, I would feel differently. It’s also possible that these were just the two games that didn’t click for me personally, and I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to try the other three.
For now, I’m cautiously optimistic about Jackbox Party Pack 12. If you’re a hardcore Jackbox fan who wasn’t in Debate Club in high school, I might suggest waiting for more information on the other three games before taking the plunge.
Source: Kotaku
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