Jackbox Party Pack 7 | Xbox One Review

The Jackbox games have become an annual tradition around my house. It’s one of the few games that I can get virtually all of my friends to play. The games are simple enough, considering the non-gamers in my group don’t have to use an intimidating controller. Plus, these packages are incredibly easy to learn and act more like party games. No one actually cares who wins each round. It’s all about the experiences and laughs shared amongst those in your group, and it’s an absolute riot. As expected, Jackbox Games delivered once again with their seventh installment of titles. Some are better than others, which is typical, but all well worth the price of admission. Let’s take a deep dive into what each of these five games can offer you.

Quiplash 3

If you’re a Jackbox veteran, you’re probably familiar with Quiplash. In this game, pairs of players are given a prompt on their respective device. The goal is to come up with the funniest or most clever response. The question, along with both responses, are displayed on the screen, and the remaining players vote on their favorites. Each vote awards points, and after three rounds, the points are tallied up, and a winner is decided.

“Quiplash 3” doesn’t change the formula a great deal. It’s mostly new prompts and a fresh coat of paint with the user interface. That said, this is easily the most accessible title of the bunch. It’s become the go-to game amongst my group of friends. It’s simple to pick up and guaranteed to provide a ton of laughs with the right group of friends.

The Devils and the Details

Cooperative games aren’t new to the franchise, but they’re definitely few and far between. “The Devils and the Details” strips away the competitive nature of most Jackbox games and instead has you working together with your friends. Each player is a member of a family of devils trying to live a suburban lifestyle. The goal is to increase the “family score” by completing random household tasks together.

This game is all about communication. One player might select a task to choose a certain object from a pile in one room. That player must verbally ask for help until another player joins the room. The second player has a description on his/her phone and must describe the object for the other player to collect. Success increases the entire family’s score. This is just one example of the many mini games/tasks that must be completed in order to keep the family score ahead of the looming timer. If the family score reaches the finish line before the timer, the team wins.

This game took a couple of rounds to really understand what it wanted you to do. Although it’s not as accessible as other titles, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Working together is quite refreshing. There is a bit of a competitive aspect of the game as well, as each player is awarded individual points. Players can choose to work against the family for their own gain as well, but I didn’t find this nearly as fun as simply working together. Still, the option is there, and it’s a welcome one.

Champ’d Up

Jackbox Party Pack 6 from last year was noticeably lacking any type of drawing game. This year’s installment brings it back with “Champ’d Up.” It’s similar to Quiplash in that players will vote on pairs of offerings from other players. The difference here is that instead of funny/clever quips, you’re providing drawings.

Each player is given two prompts to draw their picture. One is given a category, and the other is given the category against which it will compete. Drawings are randomly matched up on the screen, and players vote on which “champion” would beat the other in a fight. The artist has the option to “tag in” their second drawing in an attempt to gain more votes from the group. This makes for humorous matchups, all leading to a winner based on the most number of votes.

Champ’d Up is the most confusing game of the lot to wrap your head around. It’s not nearly as accessible as other games, and was my least favorite of the bunch. It’s worth a play once in a while, but it’s not one I’m chomping at the bit to run through again.

Talking Points

One of the funniest television shows I’ve ever watched is Impractical Jokers. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it, as I’ve never laughed as hard at anything as I did with that show. One of my favorite “punishments” is when a contestant is forced to give a PowerPoint presentation of which they’ve never seen a single slide. The awkwardness that ensues is deliciously funny, and I never gotten tired of it. “Talking Points” is the Jackbox version of that very game.

One player is the speaker, and the remaining players each decide what random pictures and phrases will appear on the speaker’s slideshow. The speaker then presents and attempts to make his speech as convincing or humorous as possible. The other players give “likes” throughout the presentation when they feel he/she is doing well. These are tallied at the end of each player’s presentation, and the one with the most amount of votes wins.

Sometimes the most fun you can have with a game is when the competitive nature is on the back burner. “Talking Points” is the epitome of that notion. No one cares who wins. It’s all about the experience of watching your friends try to awkwardly stumble their way through a presentation they know nothing about. I laughed way too hard playing this game, and it’s one of my favorites in this collection.

Blather ‘Round

“Talking Points” was great, but it wasn’t the best of the bunch. That crown belongs solely to “Blather ‘Round.” This is another cooperative game. One player has a secret phrase, which the other players must guess. In order to do so, the player with the secret phrase gives clues to the others, which appear on the screen. The catch is that the clues are randomly determined by the game. The player with the phrase has to choose from a selection of words or phrases that may or may not help the rest. While this is happening, the remaining players make guesses on their respective devices, which appear on the main screen. The more guesses you make, the more the main player can confirm or deny their selections, giving further hints to how close they really are.

Although this game takes a round or two to really wrap your head around, it’s a perfect game to play with like-minded friends. It’s a ton of fun working together to uncover the mystery phrase. It feels super satisfying when the team comes together to solve the puzzle, and it works much better than I expected. “Blather ‘Round” is one of the main reasons to pick up this Jackbox collection, and I can’t wait to gather friends together to play again.

Jackbox Party Pack 7 Final Verdict

If you’ve read any of my past reviews on the Jackbox games, you know that I’m a massive fan of every one of these titles. I’m obsessed with playing games with friends, and these are some of the easiest to get people into without scaring them away. On top of that, they’re guaranteed to provide more than a few genuine laughs, provided your friends have a good sense of humor. Despite not every game in this package being a winner, it’s impossible for me to not recommend this pack for anyone with a group of friends. You and your closest friends will thank me. And I already can’t wait for next year’s iteration.

This review is based on an Xbox One copy of Jackbox Party Pack 7 provided by Sandbox Strategies for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Steam, Nintendo Switch, and several other platforms.