The annual releases of the Jackbox Party Packs have become a bit of a tradition, to the point where next year we’ll be looking at number 10 already. Let’s first check out Party Pack 9 though, which just arrived on all systems. We checked out the PlayStation version for this review.
We’ve gotten used to the fact that each Party Pack is a balanced mix of games, in a number of ways. There’s almost always an updated version of a popular game from previous packs, there’s usually a drawing one, a wordplay one, etc. Party Pack 9 is no exception, so it came as little surprise when Fibbage 4 was announced at part of this new collection. We’re not complaining though, as Fibbage is one of the all-time classics in the Jackbox range and a game we regularly go back to.
The fourth iteration is still based around very random trivia facts and coming up with your own answers to throw others off. If they think your answer was the correct one, you score points. New question categories add a bit of new flavor to the gameplay though, with “Cookie’s VHS Vault” being a favorite of ours as it’s movie-based. Long time fans will also like the addition of user-generated content in Fibbage, but the overall experience is still quite similar to what you’re used to – including familiar modes like “Enough About You”, which personalizes things with facts/lies about the people playing.
The other titles are brand new entries, and the first one we picked was Junktopia, a game in which players have turned into frogs and are hoping to turn back into their normal selves by coming up with funny background stories to go with random items/junk in a story. It feels similar to previous Jackbox games where you had to describe something, but the presentation is charming and it’s a lot of fun to play with a group that brings a sense of humor to the table. You’ll also get better at the game over time, as later rounds require you to group previous items together and you’ll learn to plan ahead for this when you’re played this more often.
Roomerang is probably the standout game of this pack, with a reality TV-like formula in which players all get assigned a certain role and do their best to play the part. From the role playing to the way that it’s presented, Roomerang is a game with tons of personality, and we found that those who enjoy reality TV shows that involve voting for and against people quickly embraced their opportunity to include in-jokes here.
Quixort is the game we played during our preview of Party Pack 9, and having now played it a handful of times we were glad to see that we haven’t run into any repeat questions yet. It’s very much a trivia game and the sorting nature of the gameplay is a fun take on the formula, but if you stream your games to play with remote friends then the Tetris-like block placement might require a decent connection – more so than with other Jackbox games. It’s a really fun game though, especially because a lot of the questions are well written – fitting into that “I think I know this but I’m not completely sure” category.
The fifth and last game included is Nonsensory, which is the drawing game of this pack. Shaped like a special test in order to see if you have powers of nonsensory perception, which involves guessing which number other players have in their head based on the drawings they’re making and answers they’re giving. Things can get quite vague in this one, so you need a group that’s pretty well attuned to one another – and it helps if you use a tablet for your drawings so you have a bigger screen to work with, unless you’re amazing at crafting art on your phone screen.
Jackbox Party Pack 9 is another excellent collection of BYOD party games to head into the fall with, and comes with a few quality of life tweaks as well. You no longer need to enter room codes, but can just scan a custom-made QR code from the TV screen which gets you straight into the game. This makes the barrier for playing even lower, further cementing the series’ status as the premier accessible party game collection.
Score: 8.0/10
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