The You Quiz Review (PC)

I’m atop an ivory throne with a god complex, spitting at mediocrity and praising genuine remarks that wax my self-inflated ego. They’ll bow to me, and they’ll say whatever it takes to get one step closer to the pinnacle of hierarchy. But, I’ve just the smallest trick up my sleeve: I can lie and fabricate the truth, and I can take comfort in one compliment, but then abolish the next if it means holding on to the crown for another round. I think that they’re catching on, but I’ve little to fret about, because for as long as I choose to don the cloak and jewels, nobody can tell me how to rule the roost.

The You Quiz is a bit like fueling the ego of a pompous ruler, in that you have to turn a blind eye to old habits and do all in your power to appeal to their needs. The aspect that sets this game show apart from others of its kind is that, in order to win the series, you not only have to think of your toes to make a stubborn ruler happy, but you also have to think outside of the box to make your answers witty, bashful, and thoughtful. In other words, if you don’t inflate the ego, then you don’t stand a chance at taking your rightful place as the next heir to the throne.

It goes like this: a ruler—that’s you, provided that you didn’t draw the short straw at the round table—takes on the task of rifling through questions, whilst the fledgling duelists—players that must ascend the stairs over quick-fire bouts of tongue-in-cheek camaraderie—chalk up answers to said questions. As the ruler, you have the power of deciding who climbs the stairs, and who falls back to square one. The goal here, then, is simple: figure out who deserves the throne, and who deserves the pittance at the bottom end of the ivory tower. Simply put, once a player reaches the apex, they take to the same duties as the former ruler, and the rewards befall those who made the biggest impact.

The You Quiz is a simple, albeit witty ego-centric affair that blends high-speed commentary with split-second decisions. As such, it refuses to hold your hand and tell you how to progress, and it almost demands that you put your friendships to the grindstone in an effort to keep yourself shackled to the hierarchy. It asks a universal question: how well do you know your friend? Decisions, decisions.

You Have No Power Over Me

The You Quiz offers you and a ragtag band of additional players the chance to duke it out over a series of wild card questions and answers, with the best answers serving as the fodder for your kingdom, and the flat answers serving as the death knell for your hopes of ascension. Suffice it to say, it’s an incredibly simple concept, and one that doesn’t require much forward planning to learn on the fly. The downside to it all, however, is that you don’t always know how the game will play out, or if the answers that you submit will make an impression on the ruler. But, we won’t dwell on that.

The rules here are self-explanatory: three players write their answers to a question, whether it’s comical, personal, or downright ridiculous, and the ruler chooses which answer deserves the honor of being promoted to the next step. I’d like to imagine that you could connect the dots from here. Again, simple, but surprisingly effective under the right circumstances.

For a relatively small game that doesn’t house a huge amount of “wild cards” or game modes, I will say that The You Quiz does come up with plenty of incentives to keep you plugging on. For example, once you finish a round, you earn monikers—The Emperor, The Jealous, and a handful of other thirty-something titles—to staple to your portfolio. It’s a cheap trick to keep you engaged, for sure — but it does the job, weirdly.

You Don’t Know Me

Admittedly, The You Quiz is a game that works best when it’s shared with a room full of friends. Thanks to its couch co-op features, though, you can experience the breadth of its world from the comfort of your own home. Of course, that isn’t to say that it isn’t likely to cause a few steamy arguments, but hey — at least it isn’t Monopoly. No, it’s more Cards Against Humanity if anything, but with less dark humor and a little more character. Well, sort of.

Visually, there isn’t much to write home about here. In fact, outside of the keystone throne room and the bashful avatars, there isn’t much to witness at all. But, I suppose that isn’t too much of an issue, as The You Quiz isn’t built with classic good looks in mind, but with quick-fire sprints and comical theatrics. And to give credit where it’s due, it does manage to capture all of that in its small yet oddly enticing ego-shaped box. It isn’t fun to look at from the outside, but—and you’ll kick me for saying this—it’s what’s on the inside that matters most here. And yes, I am kicking myself for saying that.

While I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a couple of extra modes of play or a few more monikers to claim, I will say that, for a small indie PvP game, The You Quiz has a ton of great features of its own. It isn’t the be all, end all of couch co-op game shows, but for what it does bring to the table, it somehow manages to get the job done and leave a memorable impression. And what’s more, it plays well, with little to no icky bugs to sully your experience or dampen the overall mood. Again, it isn’t a flashy game, but then, I’m all for the idea of celebrating a game that does what it’s told, at least.

Verdict

The You Quiz finds stable ground as a brutally honest and oftentimes thought-provoking ego-waxing PvP game that knows how to extract your strengths and weaknesses. The rules, of course, are simple, but the gameplay is surprisingly mind-boggling, more so if you’re unfamiliar with what makes the ruler tick. On those occasions, I often found that a quick witty remark would be enough to swivel heads — but not always. Heck, if I ever managed to ascend the steps, it was usually due to a well-oiled combination of dumb luck and favoritism. But, I won’t delve any deeper into that malarkey.

While you could argue that the game is a one-and-done experience that loses its charm after the initial handful of bouts, it is worth noting that, like a lot of party-based PvP battles, there is always room for a few extra jewels to be added to the tiara, so to speak. Could it do with a few extra game modes? Perhaps. Would it benefit from having more questions that tailor to the specific needs of the ruler? Probably. However, I’m not about to dock points for these minor nitpicking issues, as frankly, The You Quiz makes for a surprisingly enjoyable duel. It isn’t perfect, but it is a couch co-op game that knows how to draw a fan base.

To cut a long story short — yes, you should give The You Quiz a chance, but only if you’re willing to bend over backwards and lick the heels of your seemingly tyrannical opponents. Better yet, if you’re willing to throw caution to the wind and engage in some high-octane, passive-aggressive tactical camaraderie, then you might as well give it a shot.