**The Jackbox Party Pack 11 Review**
Jackbox Party Packs are collections of casual party games that use people’s smartphones for play. They often present unique takes on classic games like Pictionary or Balderdash. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve received a mainline Jackbox Party Pack. Last year, we got the Family Feud-inspired *Jackbox Survey Scramble*, but that was only one game. Those waiting for a full set of new games have had a bit of a wait.
But the wait is over. Jackbox Games has released five new games in the form of *The Jackbox Party Pack 11*. Read on to find out if this latest installment is worth adding to your Jackbox library.
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### How It Works
The Jackbox Party Pack games operate in a straightforward way: the main game loads on your console. Every time one of the five games in *The Jackbox Party Pack 11* is started, a 4-digit room code is provided. Anyone who wants to participate uses their smartphone to join by opening a web browser, navigating to jackbox.tv, and entering the room code.
It’s a simple framework designed to allow casual participants—regardless of their gaming experience—to use a familiar device as a controller.
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### Doominate
The first game in *The Jackbox Party Pack 11* is **Doominate**, designed for 3-8 players and takes about 20 minutes to play.
Players receive a word or phrase and must type in a way that thing could be ruined. For example, if the prompt is “boy band,” a player might type, “but they’re all addicted to meth.” After everyone submits their answers, the game pits two answers with the same prompt head-to-head, and players vote on which one is best.
Points are awarded to the winners of each face-off, and after a few rounds, a winner is declared.
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### Hear Say
The second game, **Hear Say**, is for 2-8 players and also takes around 20 minutes.
It shares Doominate’s voting mechanic but changes the interaction style. Players receive a prompt and are asked to make a noise into their phone’s mic — for instance, the noise of a werewolf eating something.
All recordings are then voted on by players. Between rounds, there are minigames where players use their volume level to control Angry Birds-like challenges.
A note on this game: if everyone plays together in the same room, it can become problematic. The game doesn’t instruct players to spread out when making their noises, which is necessary because phone microphones pick up other players’ sounds. The loud volume encouraged by the game makes this even more challenging, and if players sit too close to louder participants, their entries might be ruined.
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### Cookie Haus
The third game, **Cookie Haus**, supports 3-8 players and takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Like the previous games, voting is central here, but players express their creativity by drawing. Everyone decorates and names cookies, and in the final round, players can alter cookies created by others.
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### Overall Thoughts on Doominate, Hear Say, and Cookie Haus
I really enjoyed these three games — *Doominate*, *Hear Say*, and *Cookie Haus*. However, they all feel similar because they rely on the same “players vote on each other’s work” format. Additionally, they feel like variations of classic Jackbox games with more specific themes.
If you don’t own any Jackbox Party Packs, these would make a great introduction to the series. However, for those with a collection of Jackbox Games, there might not be anything particularly new here.
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### Suspectives
The fourth game, **Suspectives**, is for 4-8 players and runs about 20 minutes.
This is the first truly unique game in *The Jackbox Party Pack 11*. It begins with each player answering a series of personal opinion survey questions. Afterwards, a crime has been committed, and one player is guilty. The perpetrators’ survey answers serve as evidence.
Everyone plays minigames to try and guess which player is the culprit based on their answers.
*Suspectives* rewards strategy — players need to balance how revealing their answers are to avoid suspicion. It’s a fun party game, especially because the dynamics shift depending on how well players know each other.
I can see *Suspectives* becoming a great icebreaker at gatherings.
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### Additional Gameplay Elements
Players choose a class with different stats for attack, health, and gold. The goal is to earn enough gold to face the final boss. Players navigate branching paths and battle monsters, working together to advance as far as possible without dying.
Adding riddles shakes up the gameplay, and some question formats are very interesting — for example, players might be tasked with collaboratively listing seven actors who have played Batman in live-action films.
This cooperative element stands out among the mostly competitive games and adds variety to the pack.
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### Connectivity Issues
As with past Jackbox titles, some connectivity issues were encountered while playing *The Jackbox Party Pack 11*.
While some problems stemmed from users, Wi-Fi, or smartphone hardware, a few issues were related to the game itself.
If a player’s phone screen goes dark between turns, they can typically turn their screen back on to continue, but sometimes a refresh of the jackbox.tv webpage is required.
Tech-savvy players manage this quickly, but less-experienced players might struggle.
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### Final Verdict
*The Jackbox Party Pack 11* is another fantastic set of games. Its strength lies in three games that are variations of classic Jackbox titles, which means they will feel familiar and approachable for new players.
However, this familiarity might deter those who already own multiple Jackbox Party Packs looking for fresh gameplay.
At half the price of a typical AAA game, *The Jackbox Party Pack 11* offers great value and plenty of fun for groups looking to liven up their gatherings.
***PS5 code provided by the publisher.***
https://cogconnected.com/review/the-jackbox-party-pack-11-review/