The Jackbox game titled “Patently Stupid” is in a few ways just that, but it is an overall entertaining game and I would say that it is fun. In this short review, I’ll discuss some of the positive and negative aspects of this game, and try to delve into how it succeeds, and where it doesn’t.
The game is relatively easy to play. One person acts as a host, and other players connect with either mobile devices or internet enabled computers. The benefit to this format is that most people have a cellular device, and if not, they probably do have a computer that they can use to fulfill the same purpose. The game is explained by a pair of narrators straight out the gate in very simple terms, yet the explanations themselves are very in depth and make sure to touch on the object of the game thoroughly. That being said, I did notice some slight confusion on my classmates’ faces at some points throughout the game. A disadvantage to this game specifically is that you are simply thrust straight in, and there is a surprisingly large amount to this game. It comes in 4 distinct steps, and each one is slightly different. The long and short of it is the creation of an invention to solve a nonsensical problem that is chosen by other players. Once you have finished your invention, the players convene and vote for their favorite. Only inventions that get a certain number of points are allowed to progress, or succeed, as the game puts it.
The game’s positive aspects outweigh the negatives in a lot of regards. It’s simple, the narrators employ comedy to keep it lighthearted and make sure nobody is getting too bored, the UI is clean and it matches the theme of the game, and there are two rounds, so even if you lose the first, you have a second chance. One of the advantages to this second round is that it’s slightly different than the first, and this means that everyone is competing more directly to see who can solve the problem most effectively, or in the funniest way.
Overall, I think that this game is a lot of fun, but the major downside to this particular format is that it can get repetitive during the second round. Hearing the narrator introduce the same prompt eight times is a bit much, and even though the inventions were funny and they kept interest high, this takes away a little bit from the overall experience.
Additionally, interaction with the game is done solely through a device. Though this allows for people to play remotely, as in our case, it may limit the amount of interaction that players have with each other throughout gameplay. Perhaps it was just our case, but playing over a video call made it impossible to gauge the reactions that other players had to the inventions displayed. In a more personal setting, discussion may be had about why they were good or bad, and a player could use this to their advantage during the second round. This is less a criticism of the game itself and more one of the manner in which we played it.
To conclude, I think Jackbox’s “Patently Stupid,” was an entertaining game and is fun for what it is.