“While its creative gameplay ideas are spread thin, Thirsty Suitors offers a charmingly nuanced coming of age story about messy adults.”
Pros
Nuanced story
Creative fight and cooking
Very fashionable
Streamlined skating
Cons
Overarching narrative is weak
Gameplay will get repetitive
Skating feels disconnected
If you’re feeling unwelcome in your hometown, wait till you meet Jala. The star of Thirsty Suitors, a brand new narrative skateboarding RPG from Outerloop Games, will get one heck of a homecoming when she returns to the childhood city she left behind with no second thought. Not solely does she need to face her disenchanted mom and indignant sister, however an entire fleet of scorned exes out for revenge — or at the very least somewhat closure. It’s sufficient drama to make somebody wish to pull a 180 and skate proper out of city.
Like a pot of water crammed to the brim, Thirsty Suitors explores the disastrous second the place all our messy life decisions lastly boil over. Little issues morph into larger-than-life battles in a singular journey that blends the grand exuberance of Indian cinema with the nerdy sincerity of Scott Pilgrim. But it’s not the artistic RPG battles or over-the-top cooking interludes that make it particular; it’s the mature moments in-between the place Jala will get an opportunity to heal the lingering wounds she’s inflicted.
Like its hero, Thirsty Suitors is a charmingly messy sport that juggles somewhat greater than it may possibly deal with. Its multipronged gameplay loop wobbles between ingenious and repetitive over the course of its eight-hour story. What it lacks in polish, although, it makes up for with a nuanced narrative about how the previous isn’t all the time a haunting specter to cover from.
Jala vs. the World
Thirsty Suitors doesn’t waste time unloading emotional baggage. As quickly as I choose New Game, I’m rapidly pressured to confront Jala’s hometown reign of terror. Part of that may be a cultural battle, because the queer skater punk returns house to an Tamil mom who isn’t shy about telling Jala that she betrayed her household and tradition by abruptly leaving city years in the past (her TV-loving Sri Lankan father is way more chill concerning the association). At least mother is variety sufficient to say it to her face, although; Jala’s sister has opted for the silent therapy, even going so far as to chop Jala out of her upcoming marriage ceremony. It’s a grounded story made up of tangled threads, one which expertly unveils one other piece of Jala’s historical past because the story progresses.
No battle paints Jala’s lovers as evil obstacles impeding her progress, however as actual people …
Jala’s battles aren’t simply symbolic. On prime of the whole lot else, her exes have bonded collectively and are intent on making her reply for her reckless previous. It’s a setup that pulls clear inspiration from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, however one which’s approached with extra maturity. Each ex (and their heartbreak) paints a fuller portrait of Jala’s evolving views on relationships and the place she sees herself in them. What begins with a innocent reconnection together with her third-grade fling Sergio builds to a extra soul-searching reconciliation together with her most up-to-date ex, Tyler. No battle paints Jala’s lovers as evil obstacles impeding her progress, however as actual people in search of understanding of what occurred.
Those moments make up the center of Thirsty Suitors’ story, as Jala learns extra about herself every time she’s confronted with a bit of her previous. Fights aren’t simply gained by knocking an enemy’s well being bar all the way down to zero; every concludes with a immediate to “make up” with the individual, permitting each of them to maneuver on. With every little bit of closure, Jala beneficial properties the clear-eyed confidence she must heal the larger household wounds nonetheless festering.
Annapurna Interactive
It’s not all the time the cleanest story. An overarching plot a few townie youth cult (led by a person in a bear swimsuit) tries too exhausting to ratchet up the stakes and a few key plotlines abruptly begin and cease. I get the sense that Outerloop Games tried to pack in additional narrative than its small indie scale allowed at instances. The whole journey takes place throughout three small areas stuffed with facet characters that struggle for restricted display screen time. I nearly get why Jala was so keen to depart as so many individuals struggle for my consideration.
Despite that, it’s these one-on-one moments with Jala’s exes that make Thirsty Suitors’ story worthwhile. It’s an unabashedly queer story a few lady balancing her tasks to others together with her personal private wants and self expression. There’s house for all of that as Jala grinds down the rail of life; she simply must nail the balancing act.
Spreading it skinny
While Thirsty Suitors tells a grounded story, it’s dressed up with over-the-top gameplay that blows issues as much as a grander scale. That begins with its underlying RPG hooks, as Jala fights each her exes and organized suitors in turn-based battles. It’s an instantly lovable system, as Jala inflicts her foes with standing illnesses like “thirst” and (symbolically) bashes them together with her skateboard. Attacks are interspersed with vocal barbs as Jala and her exes hash out their previous midbattle. It’s a intelligent use of an RPG framework that turns what may have been a visible novel into one thing extra energetic. Those fights lean into Thirsty Suitors’ stylized panache too, as Jala unleashes charmingly exaggerated assaults introduced in vibrant pop artwork type.
There’s no actual talent to fight after some time …
Outerloop Games takes notes from the Mario RPGs to drag that off. Each assault is executed with fast minigames which have gamers mashing buttons or transferring their joystick on the proper second. It’s extra enjoyable than merely choosing a transfer from an inventory, although that system does get repetitive pretty quick. There are solely a handful of assaults Jala learns, and their prompts by no means change. There’s no actual talent to it after some time, because it simply turns into busy work that extends already prolonged fights even additional.
Different exes don’t precisely shake that formulation up both. The technique is kind of the identical in nearly each battle: inflict a standing impact the enemy is weak to, push the momentum with an assault of that kind, and hit fundamental ones to revive willpower. An occasional dancing minigame or narrative twist breaks up a number of battles, however there’s not an excessive amount of depth to be discovered after getting the system down pat. Fortunately, there aren’t a glut of battles both, because it’s extra of a lightweight RPG with a handful of central battles than one which requires grinding.
Annapurna Interactive
That thought of nice gameplay ideas being unfold skinny carries over to Thirsty Suitors’ different elements. Between battles, Jala can prepare dinner meals together with her mom to create buff-inducing consumables in battle. It’s one other ingeniously artistic thought as Jala works to win her mom’s approval with every recipe step throughout a Cooking Mama-style minigame. There are even some hilarious cultural gags peppered in, as Jala can attempt to acquire a bonus by complimenting her mom — a transfer that may backfire, as the sport notes that Indian moms are exhausting to foretell. Like fight, that playful loop will get stale too because it doesn’t combine up its button timing minigames or exuberant animations a lot, even between recipes.
Skateboarding is extra diverse than cooking and fight, although it’s additionally the least necessary to the expertise as an entire. Jala will get round city on her skateboard and Outerloop Games tries to make that as easy and satisfying as attainable. Players can’t actually wipe out, which permits them to chain collectively large trick combos like they’re in a Tony Hawk sport. Players can check these expertise much more with non-obligatory challenges that reward money, battle gadgets, and beauty gear, which lets them change up Jala’s type. It’s a enjoyable strategy to kill time between massive story developments, although it winds up feeling indifferent from the expertise at massive.
Annapurna Interactive
Thirsty Suitors by no means totally loses its steadiness, because it tackles the whole lot it does with its entire coronary heart, but it surely does depart the entire bundle feeling a bit like Jala herself. She’s pulled in too many instructions throughout her journey house as a number of individuals struggle for her consideration. How can she probably be anticipated to wrap each relationship up neatly? She’s solely human. That’s in the end what’s so endearing about her journey, as Thirsty Suitors by no means calls for perfection from Jala. It’s comfy exhibiting gamers a messy character who’s attempting her greatest to juggle her difficult life. The undeniable fact that she’s capable of keep standing via all of it’s a small victory value celebrating. I’m prepared to increase that very same compassion to an bold indie that dares to dream past its small city restrictions.
Thirsty Suitors was examined on PC and Steam Deck.