TheJackbox Gamesformula is tried and true at this point, but playing any entry inTheJackbox Party Packfranchise online with friends via Discord or Zoom has given me a feeling I haven’t had since March, when I felt comfortable hanging out with groups of friends. They’re the kind of games that, like a good kart racer or fighting game, need to feel evergreen to be good. Hell, my most-played entry in the series is from about four years ago, and I’d still be happy to boot it up today. What makesThe Jackbox Party Pack 3,or any other goodJackboxgame for that matter, so replayable are the ways the individual minigames can stay fresh while not alienating any of the players.The Jackbox Party Pack 7handles this tightrope walk with poise, balancing different kinds of games for different situations and groups by bringing back classicJackboxgames and mechanics.
The pack itself comes in the pretty standard wrappings of anyJackboxgame, asyou have five games to choose from;Quiplash 3, The Devils and the Details, Champ’d Up, TalkingPoints, andBlather ‘Round. Each game sets itself apart from the others in the pack fairly well by drawing from different ways to balance player-controlled content. Across the five minigames, each allows for its own unique brand of chaotic fun, while also never encroaching on another’s territory.
Of all the games, only one of them is noticeably worse than the others, with the rest being arguably some of the best in the franchise. When I played through each game in the pack with my roommates just to learn the ropes,The Devils and the Detailsstuck out like a sore thumb. It’s not necessarilybad, it’s just the least fun to me. The game sees you and the other players assume roles in a family and work on tasks that fill a meter, and whoever contributes the most by the end of a set time period gets extra points. The challenge comes in when team members are allowed to do tasks that can risk lowering the meter and cause catastrophic events so that they get points for themselves. As a game that boils down to communication and frantically tapping or swiping on your phone screen, it’s fun and has its moments, but easily the worst game in the pack overall.
The three other new games in the pack–Champ’d Up, Talking PointsandBlather ‘Round–are all fantastic. In fact, I’d argue that all three deserve to be on the tier of games likeQuiplashorDrawful.Champ’d Upgives players a prompt to draw a couple of characters before pitting them against other creations. It feels likeChamp’d Uptakes the best elements from pastJackboxgames likeDrawfulandTee K.O.and combines them. Creations we made like “Dora the Scary Explorer” or “Guile Shitting Himself” were instant classics, and feeling your grip on the real world loosen as you scream at your roommates to vote for a big, burly army man with loose stool is an indescribably funny experience.
[pullquote]“Of all the games, only one of them is noticeably worse than the others, with the rest being arguably some of the best in the franchise."[/pullquote]
Talking Pointstakes all the fun parts of the recent (admittedly ridiculous) Tik Tok trend that involves friends getting together to give PowerPoint presentations and gets rid of the boring stuff. Mainly, it takes out the prep time, knowing what you’re talking about, and the illusion of control over the PowerPoint (and your life), as another player assumes control over what your audience actually sees. Delivering stream-of-consciousness presentations and entering a state of suspenseful flow between slides is as often a trainwreck as it is hilarious - and perfect.Talking Pointsis the sleeper hit in this pack, and honestly, it’s becoming my favoriteJackboxgame.
Rounding out the offering of new games introduced inJackbox 7, Blather ‘Roundbrings a new spin to Charades. Rather than acting things out until someone gets something related to what you are and using that as a clue,Blather ‘Roundgives you a prompt and a fill-in-the-blanks sentence with a pair of vague descriptors for the other players to throw guesses at. As answers roll in, the player with the prompt is allowed to keep clarifying based on a combination of more vague descriptors that the game gives them and the answers other players give. It feels like a fun innovation on the formula of Charades that makes it harder, but also funnier.
Rounding out the pack is a classic known well toJackboxaficionados,Quiplash 3.The third iteration of what is arguably the most popularJackboxgame pretty much does what it does best: it lets players fill in the blanks to various prompts, like a crowd-sourcedApples to ApplesorCards Against Humanity. For the most part, players won’t find anything new in this edition ofQuiplashaside from the slightly tweaked third round, which offers a much better alternative to the variants offered inQuiplash 2.
With four great and unique party games and one okay one wrapped up in one stellar party pack,TheJackbox Party Pack 7offers a fun, dynamic party experience with a few of the best new games in the franchise to date, likeTalking PointsandBlather ‘Round.It also features the triumphant return of the stone-coldJackboxclassic inQuiplash 3. Given the strong individual parts, and especially in the current state of the world right now,Jackbox 7is probably the best entry in the franchise yet. I’ve enjoyed older versions ofJackboxwhile reconnecting with friends over Discord or Zoom–or just playing with the people I live with–but this year’s party pack feels like a consistently fun and hilarious diversion from the stresses of 2020.
