A word association game and a personality quiz walk into a bar. MegaPals is what happens next.
The original concept for Jackbox Party Pack 12 pitched by Liz Anderson and Chase McClure drew from the classic game of Mind Meld – you get a word, then try to land on the same response as another player. In this game, making matches awards you points, but it’s voting on hot takes from the unmatched words that leads to your next starter, and see how far you take it. It’s an exciting riff on the Jackbox origin story: the blending of improv comedy with technical artistry. We wanted to reward group-think and individual creativity equally.
How to Become a MegaPal
MegaPals poses the question: who are the closest friends in this group? Who thinks the most alike? The two players who make the most unique matches with each other across the game become the MegaPals, or the ultimate duo who steals the crown. Yes, there are two winners! A first for us that felt very fitting to a party game environment.
The winners are not always who you think and frequently change throughout the game. The game provides many ways to collect match points (matching with others, having answers selected to riff on, etc.) so the best strategy is to just be yourself. Write what you think is fun and likely to get someone else in the room to laugh along. We’ll show you highlights of what’s on everyone’s mind as you play.
Not interested in sharing your victory? We have bonus awards for individual performance at the end too!
Data for Fun or Strategy
Thanks to our controller engineer, Ryan McGill, your phone screen provides a lot of real-time information on what others are submitting as you enter your own words. This lets you stay in a stream-of-consciousness mode while you’re writing all the while clueing you into different players’ wavelengths that can score you the big points.
Courtesy of more great teamwork between engineering lead Ariana Miles and art lead Owen Watson, our dynamic “likes” screen is another game moment for players to chatter around ideas rising to the top as the group votes on favorite words.
The minimap between rounds is the players’ relationship chart, or the map of who you’re closest to at this point in time. In an eight-player game, there are 28 possible winning pairs. That’s a lot to show. A map surfaces group information in a way you couldn’t get from a conventional list or scoreboard. It pairs each player with their highest scoring friend, and gives a quick dramatic replay of the words that made or broke friendships.
By using the map to strategically inform your next rounds, you can look at your current connections for who’s currently thinking most like you. Then, you can continue to boost that friendship by trying to speak their language in the coming prompts. Or, notice another high scoring duo, and sneak in between. Many good opportunities for pandering.
Long Live the Kings
People often see our game hosts as wacky instruction givers but they also serve as vibe-setters. We’d love our players to get inspired by the endearing horror that is the King of Friendship and let their freak flag fly. If the question is, “What does this make you think of?”, you answer with your own personal shortlist of weirdness. Then, delight in eureka moments of matching with your bestie just before time runs out. Or, get a rush of ideas as fresh connections pile up in the next one.
After a round of MegaPals, we hope you’re moved to new heights by your bonds of friendship. If you play it right, your ultimate win might just be the new friends you make along the way.MegaPals is one of five new games coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One October 15. Learn more about this game at JackboxGames.com. For more Jackbox Party Pack 12 updates from our studio, follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, Discord, and YouTube.
The Jackbox Party Pack 12
Jackbox Games, Inc.
Our Chicago comedians and party wizards created five all-new games perfect for holiday gatherings, game nights, and happy hours. Only one person needs to own the game. Use your phones as controllers to jump right in!
We Forgot a Card: Craft ridiculous greeting cards for weird occasions. You can even purchase them IRL!
MegaPals: Celebrate friends old and new through impulsive wordsmithing and explosive match-ups. How well do your fellow players think alike?
Debate and Switch: Light-hearted topics meet lively debate in this town hall talk-’em-up tourney!
Idol Factions: Two teams race to sort answers into the right categories in this action-packed fact battle. Think fast and yell loudly!
Hyperface: Warp selfies and stock photos in wild ways to respond to bizarre prompts. Smudge, yank, squash, and draw to create masterpieces meant to be shared!
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