Mini Review: Jackbox Naughty Pack (Switch)

Spice, spice? Maybe

Version Reviewed: European

review by Jim Norman 4pm

Those who have experienced any of the Jackbox Party Packs will know that, sometimes, things can get a little spicy. An odd question thrown into a family-friendly round of Fibbage that leaves you frantically scanning the in-game moderation options or a well-endowed Drawful sketch that leaves everyone chuckling like embarrassed teens — we’ve all been there before. The Jackbox Naughty Pack is all about that feeling, a party game collection for adults that lands high on the ‘Rude Scale’, even if it’s not quite as blushing-ly bold as it seems to think it is.

Unlike the previous packs, this Naughty edition is a three-game collection, with each game providing a cheeky twist on an otherwise ordinary Jackbox formula. At an initial glance, this isn’t a lot of bang for your buck. The three games provide some decent variety, but at £19.69 / $21.69, it feels a little pricey compared to the usual full-fat, five-game ~£25 options.

Anyway, onto the games. There’s ‘Fakin’ It All Night Long’ (a play on Party Pack 3’s Fakin’ It), ‘Dirty Drawful’ (the original’s Drawful only, ahem, “dirty”) and a new presentation game called ‘Let Me Finish’. The first two are very much in line with what we’ve seen before, getting players to blend in with or draw some spicy scenarios, while the latter is all about convincing your pals that you know the answer to life’s most titillating questions such as “Where are a taco’s nipples?”

So, it’s Jackbox. But what about the naughtiness? That is the selling point of this collection, after all, so does it live up to its name? Well, kinda.

The naughtiness in question falls into one of two categories: either you are asked to discuss the ins and outs (steady) of topics you wouldn’t want to bring up at the dinner table, or you are faced with a standard Jackbox-style question with an F-Bomb crowbarred in to portray some faux NSFW edginess.

This is harmless enough in the short term — we wouldn’t want every question to get us hot under the collar — but it does serve to make things feel a little inconsistent when you’ve just spent the last five minutes discussing an inanimate object’s naughty bits only to then be hit with the question “What’s an animal you don’t f*****g trust?”

It also somewhat takes away from the comedy appeal of the experience. The joy of Jackbox is taking something that seems tame and injecting your own silliness into it. Responding to the prompt “Draw a picture of a cat” with an illustration of a cat with a large behind is great comedy value because it catches everyone off guard. Submitting the same drawing to the prompt “Draw a picture of a cat with a f*****g big bum” (we’re making these up at this point) is just playing by the rules.

There’s still fun to be had, of course, and paired with the right crowd, we found that the usual Jackbox laughs came thick and fast. You’ll still need a wifi connection to play and drawing pictures on a phone screen is still less than ideal, but hey, that’s old news for Jackbox.

The Jackbox Naughty Pack is a spicy but slight collection. The inconsistent NSFW-ness often detracts from the series’ comedy value, and it’s a shame there aren’t more games to dive into, but those looking to heat up a grown-up game night will still find some good laughs to be had here.