The Jackbox Naughty Pack isn’t as scandalous as its M-rating suggests

If you’ve ever played Jackbox Party Pack with your friends, you’ve probably seen it get dirty. A game of TeeKO will ultimately always include at least one penis, and you’re sure to get some outrageous answers in Quiplash. That’s an organic energy that tends to come out of potty-mouthed adults just looking to unwind (perhaps with a few beverages). But can you intentionally push players into that mindset? And would it be nearly as funny if you did?

Those are questions that Jackbox Games is looking to answer with The Jackbox Naughty Pack. This year’s annual release isn’t your normal family-friendly party game; it’s an M-rated collection featuring three games that very much aren’t for your children. The prompts are spicier, the innuendos less subtle, and the Drawful owl wears a thong. It’s a party pack that encourages players to keep their mind in the gutter.

Whether that will be a success might come down to taste. In a hands-on session, I got to see all three of The Jackbox Naughty Pack’s games in action and even make my own spirited argument about library computer porn during a round of the new presentation game Let Me Finish. More than any other Jackbox game, the Naughty Pack is leaning on its own humor more than the outrageous answers of its players — and that has the potential to spoil a good joke.

Get dirty

The Jackbox Naughty Pack is a slim installment compared to the mainline series. It only features three minigames instead of five, two of which are rebranded versions of old favorites. Fakin’ It! All Night Long and Dirty Drawful will be immediately familiar to long-time players, while Let Me Finish is the pack’s only fully original addition. That lends to the idea that Naughty Pack is a bit more of an experiment than a confident headfirst dive into debauchery.

I can understand why as soon as we get into a round of Fakin’ It. Here, every player gets a prompt that they must answer, except for one player deemed a “faker” who blindly responds without seeing the