Fibbage XL Review

Common trivia games are always focused on drilling the player on what they know. But in an age where most answers are a web search away, what might be more interesting is what exactly the players don’t know, and how long can one survive navigating a sea of misinformation. This comes together in Fibbage XL, another in a long line of favorites from Jackbox Games. Originally released in 2015 (2017 on Switch) and made famous in The Jackbox Party Pack collection, this modern take on the dictionary game is now available on the Nintendo eShop as an individual title for those looking to purchase the game separate from the entire pack.

Utilizing Jackbox’s smart device functionality, up to eight players are given a prompt on their screen to answer an obscure trivia question not with the correct answer, but an answer that only sounds correct. Each response is then anonymously displayed (along with the correct answer) and players are given a limited amount of time to uncover the truth. Players are awarded points for successfully sniffing out the right answer, and even more points for every player fooled into picking their lie. This lasts for three rounds, and the user with the most points at the end is declared winner. This particular edition, Fibbage XL, is packed with additional questions and even streamer-friendly features like Twitch verification.

While previous Jackbox titles were mostly driven by their irreverence and thematic charm, Fibbage presents a very straight forward concept and keeps things simple by focusing on the contestants. The challenge comes from using what you know combined with context clues to trip up other players and rack up the highest score. It makes for a stellar party title with a surprising amount of nuance for a game you control with a smartphone.

That smart device interfacing that Jackbox is known for however, is also its biggest hurdle in some ways. Considering the only way to interact with the game is a smart device accessing Jackbox’s website, you’re not gonna get much further than the title screen without an internet connection. This has been customary of Jackbox titles from the beginning, so it’s not surprising by any means. It’s just worth noting for those unfamiliar that this won’t have the same functionality as your typical Switch title. Considering the portability of the Nintendo Switch, it would be cool to see Jackbox dip their feet into offline versions of these games. Since large gatherings are still incredibly uncommon, the ability to play with COM players or via Nintendo Switch Online would’ve immediately justified the asking price.

Evan Roode

Evan Roode is a full time journalism student and amateur game historian. His favorite song from Guitar Hero III was “Even Flow”.