Jack & Detectives review - "A mildly entertaining social sleuthing game"

• Try to cover up your crimes as Jack the Ripper
• Play as a detective to uncover the culprit
• Repetitive gameplay keeps the game from being great

Do you consider yourself an amateur sleuth? Have you ever wondered if you could’ve caught Jack the Ripper? If so, then this new social deduction game from Curiouspark is for you. Based on the popular party game Werewolf, Jack & Detectives lets you take on the role of a detective, Jack the Ripper, or a Jack Maniac - a fan of the serial killer who tries to help him get away with murder.

Jack & Detectives pits you against other players

You’ll play with five other players from around the world in Ranked Matches and earn points when your side wins. Each round takes no more than 10 minutes and plays out on a boardgame style grid. The grid isn’t always laid out in the same shape, adding to a round’s complexity. At the beginning of each round, you and the other players will receive roles. 

Most players will be detectives, but there can be only one Jack the Ripper and one Jack Maniac per round. Keep in mind that not every round will include a Jack Maniac, so you’ll never really know if someone is trying to mess you up.

It Features Simplistic Gameplay

The gameplay is utterly simple. When it's your turn, choose a title on the grid to investigate. After everyone has chosen a tile, night will fall, and Jack the Ripper will strike. If you are Jack, you'll select an empty tile on which to commit a murder. Jack & Detectives features simplistic stylized graphics, so there are no depictions of violence or gore of any kind. This kind of makes committing your crimes feel anticlimactic. A little animation could go a long way in spicing up gameplay.

The empty tile you choose will turn red. Remember, as Jack, you can only commit a crime on a tile adjacent to your current position. Therefore, to throw others off the scent, you'll want to choose a tile that multiple other players are next to as well.

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If you are playing as a detective, note which player avatars are next to the crime scene. You should also take into account where each of your suspects moves next. Jack won’t want to be isolated, as it makes it challenging to pin the murders on someone else. However, detectives may want to move away from other suspects to prove their innocence.

Jack deserves a night off

As Jack, you can skip committing a crime for one night each round, so if you’re not in a good position to pin the blame elsewhere, that’s always an option. Still, a good detective will take note of the absence of a crime, so this could do you as much harm as good.

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After two crimes have been committed, players must complete an initial vote on who they think Jack is. As Jack or the maniac, you’ll want to throw others off the scent by voting for a plausible but incorrect suspect. Of course, the maniac won’t know for sure who Jack is. After the tentative vote, the final vote begins. This allows you to take other players’ votes into consideration.

Jack & Detectives is missing its “Spark”

And that’s really all there is to it. Yes, you can purchase various avatars and colours to give yourself a more distinctive look on the board, but this adds little to the game itself. While Jack & Detectives is cute and fun for a few rounds, it just feels like something is missing. 

While rounds can last up to ten minutes, they are usually over in half the time. Playing with your friends rather than random players is an option, which likely makes it more fun, especially if you're all in the same room joking around as you move about the board. Still, Jack & Detectives is missing the spark that could make this mediocre multiplayer board game great.

Jack & Detectives review - "A mildly entertaining social sleuthing game"

Jack & Detectives is an underwhelming social deduction game where you play as a detective or Jack the Ripper. Despite its intriguing premise, the game is marred by its repetitive gameplay.