Jackbox Party Pack 5 Review (Nintendo Switch)

Jackbox Games is back with another iteration in their popular Jackbox Party Pack series. In this title, the classic “You Don’t Know Jack” trivia mode returns along with a slew of other new modes. Playing with friends and family is incredibly easy and won’t feel like jumping through hoops just to get into a match. Thanks to a variety of games, easy access, and hilarious situations, this is a fun option to play in large or small gatherings.

Variety of Modes

At the start of any session, users can select from five different modes, which all have their own fun factors. You Don’t Know Jack is a trivia section containing plenty of questions that can be answered through multiple rounds. Split the Room is a set of would you rather scenarios which helps pit friends against one another. Living out the plot of 8 Mile never felt better in Mad Verse City where players attempt to become the next rap battle star in a Mad Libs-style versus mode. Zeeple Dome has players shoot themselves at enemies to defeat them and earn rewards for it. Patently Stupid is one of the most unique, requiring those involved to come up with a product to solve a problem, and then pitching it to the crowd.

All of these had their own pros and cons, so it definitely depends on who’s playing for what works best. Trivia was fun at times, but for the most part, it was incredibly difficult and hindered the mood of almost everyone playing. Questions were obscure and complex, so much so that not many knew what the answer could be. Not only this, but questions were so wordy that by the time you understood the question, time was almost up. Eventually, it became a contest of who wasn’t in the negatives to determine the winner. For being the main draw of the game, it was underwhelming.

Zeeple was pretty straightforward but didn’t offer enough to keep players engaged. It quickly turned into everyone just spamming their character for higher points, which grew old pretty fast. Patently Stupid is incredibly innovative and requires a lot of creativity, but this might hold some people back. This mode in particular, though, took the most time, with multiple rounds and lot of user feedback, which hindered some high points. Split the Room did provide some solid questions that had players think about each scenario and was definitely a favorite. Without a doubt, Mad Verse City was the shining star of the bunch. Creating random rap battles to roast other users was fantastic and is where everyone wanted to spend most of their time playing.

Easy to Use

Popping into the game was so incredibly easy and didn’t require additional setup. Anyone wanting to play could hop on to their phone’s web browser, a computer’s, or anything that received internet in order to join. All one would have to do was head on over to Jackbox.tv, enter the room code, choose a nickname, and then the hilarity ensued. Up to eight players were able to join in, so not many people could be left out of the shenanigans. Another cool thing is that an audience could join in and watch. This supports up to 10,000 people and is perfect for anybody interested in streaming or simply showing others not present. There are options to hide room codes and other settings to help protect from anonymous viewers taking over a match, making this an all-encompassing experience.

Never was lag encountered or internet connectivity issues a problem. Everything functioned relatively smoothly and didn’t require any additional help. One thing that did become annoying was constantly having to put in different room codes for each game mode. Going from freestyle rapping to trivia felt a little more tedious than it should be. The only upside to this was that a new nickname was able to be chosen every time. Having this ease of access allowed for people of all ages to enjoy this title and makes for a game that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Hilarious Situations

As previously mentioned, each game mode has different objectives and its enjoyability relies on who is playing the game. If a more creative group of people are playing, then Patently Stupid is perfect, but for those deeply rooted in random facts and pop culture, trivia is the way to go. The other three can be enjoyed by any audience and are definitely highlights of the game. These all require a sort of trial and error approach to what works best, since they all vary from one another. No matter what, there is sure to be something that everyone can agree on. Jackbox Games does make a great attempt at adding its own comedic flair to the game, which is appreciated but can grow tiresome at moments.

Patently Stupid made for great situations that had plenty of crazy doodles, which was amusing to see. It created a Pictionary type game that was well enjoyed, but the duration of the whole thing felt like it took too long. Mad Verse was a huge hit because it didn’t require too much thought, delivered fantastic lines, and even had a robot singing every word, no matter how profane. The game definitely could have benefitted from being a bit more simple for those just wanting to have a good time. Despite these factors, there are still plenty of moments that arose which had players in tears from laughing and trying to get a hold of themselves.

My group’s general consensus of the best modes to the worst ones was as follows: 1. Mad Verse City, 2. Split the Room, 3. Patently Stupid, 4. You Don’t Know Jack, 5. Zeeple Dome. Each was enjoyable in their own rights but can definitely vary on who is playing with you. It is very easy to hop in and out of matches, making it perfect for party settings. This is a good title to pick up if you’re planning on having friends over and want to have something fun to play. As a whole, Jackbox Party Pack 5 is an extremely fun game that can be whipped out during a gathering of friends or family in order to help create laughs throughout the night.