Developed and published by Jackbox Games, Trivia Murder Party 3 takes the familiar trivia-meets-elimination formula of the series and moves it to a deadly summer camp. Unlike previous entries that were included as part of The Jackbox Party Pack games, this installment is being released as a standalone title and is currently available in Early Access. Players answer trivia questions, survive a series of bizarre Kill Room mini-games, and try to be the last one standing, or escape the camp before someone else overtakes them. After spending time with the Early Access PC version, I found a party game that is at its best when everyone is laughing, guessing, and desperately trying to survive. This is our review of the Early Access PC Steam release of Trivia Murder Party 3 in which we answer some trivia questions and try not to get sawed off the map.
Trivia Murder Party 3 takes the adventure to a summer camp where you step into the scene in the form of cute little customizable dolls. There are two gameplay modes, Quick Party Online and Private Party, but both require players to join an online game room through a browser, whether through a phone or a second screen on the same PC. Once you enter the code in the browser client, it serves as a second screen for the game, and most of the gameplay is done through the browser while the game manages the 3D gameplay mechanics. For customizing your doll, you must create an account, which adds an unnecessary step in the process, and once you create an account, you find that the options are not that detailed either.
Once everyone is settled in the room and joined, the game begins, and this is where it really shines. The game has two basic gameplay mechanics. The first is the trivia section where the game will ask all players a random question. This can be anything in the world, similar to a normal trivia game. The questions could either be straightforward or really brutal in some cases. Every player gets the same amount of time before they can submit their answers through the secondary screen. Players who choose the right answer are declared safe, while others are taken to a Kill Room-style mini game where their fate is decided with the help of different mini games.
This is the second type of gameplay. These mini games range from choosing a canoe to sit in to solving math equations. Once the decision is made, the safe players need to make their own move, and the ‘at-risk’ player with the lowest score gets killed. A short animation is played which determines the method by which the player is killed, for example, a giant hammer beating them down, or a lot of dynamite boxes exploding right in their face. Once the losing players are killed, the game moves to the next question.
What I liked about Trivia Murder Party 3 is that the losing players are not kicked out of the game instantly. Instead, they are transformed into ghosts, which are allowed to continue playing; only that their tier is lower than that of alive players. These ghosts can still earn points and play the game normally, but since they are already dead, they are always considered safe even if they fail to answer a question correctly. Once only a single player remains, the game switches to its final mode where all ghosts and the alive player must chase after a truck, answering questions and trying to escape the summer camp. If a ghost manages to overtake the player who is alive, they can become human once again. This mode is really tense because I lost games even after answering every question correctly, but I failed to land inside the bed of the truck, and thus I came second or third instead of winning.
My favourite aspect of Trivia Murder Party 3 is its mini-games and the variety of questions. Repetition is inevitable in a finite trivia game, but the current question pool is reasonable for Early Access, and future content should expand it.
Coming to the mini-games, I was always looking forward to what sort of games were coming next. This was true in both scenarios, whether I was safe or at-risk, because part of the fun is going through these mini-games and ultimately coming out on top, even if you answered all questions wrong. This is completely possible in the game. I managed to survive all mini-games and even win the game. It’s all just blind luck sometimes, and this is what I love about Trivia Murder Party 3.
If you played the previous games, you will also instantly notice that the third game is now in 3D as well. It ditches the previous 2D models and introduces full 3D models to the game. I am still not a fan of the two-screen gameplay where you need a second screen or a second device just to answer questions or play mini-games, but the gameplay is fun and keeps you on your toes. I like the whole haunted summer camp vibe of the game, and the mini-games are well designed. The dialogue of the narrator is fine but could have been a little better. The humor dries out after some time. Trivia Murder Party 3 is a game that is fun even with strangers, but its real fun comes out when you are playing it with friends or family.
There are some technical issues with Trivia Murder Party 3, especially when it comes to playing with online people or friends in private parties. Players were frequently disconnected from matches without warning, and certain animations or emotes would appear on the wrong player. Since Trivia Murder Party 3 is currently in Early Access, I am not treating these issues as representative of the final release. However, they are worth mentioning because frequent disconnects can significantly disrupt a multiplayer party. Other than these connectivity issues, I did not encounter any other glitches or bugs in the game.
Final Verdict:
Trivia Murder Party 3 is a fun and chaotic party game that successfully builds on the series with a new summer-camp setting, entertaining Kill Room mini-games, and a clever ghost system that keeps eliminated players involved. The final escape sequence adds another layer of tension, while the variety of questions and mini-games gives each match enough unpredictability to keep things entertaining. However, the game currently has a limited pool of content; the humor can wear thin, and the two-screen requirement remains a hurdle for some players. Frequent connectivity issues also affect the Early Access experience, although these are issues that can hopefully be addressed before launch. Despite these shortcomings, Trivia Murder Party 3 is already an enjoyable multiplayer experience and has a solid foundation to build upon as it receives more content and polish.
Final Score: 8.0/10
Disclaimer: An Early Access PC Steam code for Trivia Murder Party 3 was provided by Tinsley PR on behalf of Jackbox Games for this Early Access Review. For a detailed breakdown of our scoring and review process, please refer to our Review Policy.
