When Thirsty Suitorswas first unveiled two years ago,it felt like an absolutely over-the-top piece of work, something that this writer means in all of the best ways possible. To even try and describe it in layman’s terms upon first glance, you’d likely describe it as a mix of Scott Pilgrim by way of South Asia and a cocktail of RPG, skateboarding and cooking games. And having had some time with the game’s most recent demo, which showed off each one of those gameplay elements in timed segments, there’s indeed a high level of zaniness on display here, but one with a captivating game and story that arrives as a result of the chaos.
The first part of the demo basically consists of what appears to be the introduction to Thirsty Suitors. We begin with our protagonist, Jala, returning to her home town of Timber Hills, starting out with a session involving a magazine quiz and their inner voice (taking the form of their sister) that determines their “thirstsona,” and as such, which character class they fit into – Heartbreaker, Star, or Bohemian – complete with different stats (although the character choose which of the three to gain buffs from after leveling up). Things aren’t great for Jala, having burnt a lot of bridges before leaving the town, with their parents, sister, and especially their ex-lovers. The first of whom, Sergio, we immediately get a boss battle with.
Sergio is basically a manchild, spoiled rotten by their mother after the divorce of their parents. A buff mound of toxic masculinity, Sergio has had a crush on Jala ever since the third grade, and sees himself as being smooth and confident, especially in his inner world that manifests during the fight. There’s some standard turn-based RPG combat at first, complete with QTEs to minimize damage from attacks, but the fun part kicks in when you have the ability to use taunts that can inflict a status effect on Sergio. For starters, Jala can make him “thirsty,” hence the title, which affects their attacks and weakens them against special moves. It’s a version of classic RPG mechanics given a unique flair, thanks to a nice bit of comedy and a stellar, colorful art style.
Again, Sergio’s Inner World serves as a great showcase of the visuals, even if they are immune to attacks there. To penetrate their defenses, we need a summon, this case taking the form of a giant version of Jala’s mom who smacks Sergio down with a chappal. Details such as that also emphasize how Thirsty Suitors is a love letter to South Asian culture, not just in the sights and sounds, but the little bits of culture like that which also drive home each character’s personality. We also get to see more of Sergio and Jala’s relationship and background during the fight through dialogue options, either by flirting with them, insulting them, or just answering a few questions. Notably, the ultimate goal isn’t just defeating Sergio, but ending their relationship on great terms, coming to an understanding, and maybe even still being friends. A scene after the battle with all of the exes suggests it might be harder than intended, though…
The second part of Thirsty Suitors that was in the demo involved a skate park that Jala can visit, if by “skate park” you mean “decrepit remains of an abandoned amusement park that nearly ruined the town that has now been reclaimed by a group of young skaters.” Indeed, Bearfoot Park is currently ruled over by former mascot Soundie the Bear, who appears to suddenly have an army of teenage skate punk, and Jala’s ex Tyler is also there, trying to figure out what’s going on. The main focus here is on completing a variety of skateboarding challenges, skating and grinding around the park to eventually earn rewards, accompanied by a bit of a CRT filter for that extra extreme ’90s feel.
To be honest, the skateboarding seems like one of the weaker elements so far in Thirsty Suitors. The park layout certain allows for a good chunk of challenges involving improvised ziplines, wall-riding and more, but trying to get around outside of challenges feels awkward, and what feels like a lack of precision when it comes to jumping between rails and walls can get annoying at times. Still, there’s fun to be had, and more importantly, we get to see a bit of how combat outside of the exes works, with Jala being able to head up to certain markers and begin a battle whenever they wish. These battles also show the importance of experimenting with taunts, as each enemy has their own set of statuses that they’re weak and immune to.
The final gameplay portion that was showcased involved cooking with Jala’s parents, which between this and Venba, now makes two games this year that have an emphasis on both family and South Asian cuisine. Unlike Venba, cooking in Thirsty Suitors doesn’t involve any gameplay that fully mimics realistic procedures, but instead involves using a set of the same QTEs as experienced in combat for each step of the dish. But the point here isn’t to present a realistic take on cooking, but rather to work on the relationship between Jala and their mom and dad, as the goal is to build up enough approval with them by performing each step correctly.
Notably, there’s a similar approach to cooking as there is to combat. The more you succeed with the move, the more heat you gain alongside approval. you may spend heat on showing off, making a step more complex but resulting in more approval, spend it on making things easier, or save up and spend it on summoning the family’s ancestral spirits in order to get a multiplier for each turn when it comes to approval. It’s a great twist on things, and with a limited amount of turns in place before you reach your goal, it provides a nice challenge in figuring out how to get all the approval needed in a short amount of moves.
There’s a lot to love about these cooking segments, from Jala’s stylish and action-packed, exaggerated moves (seriously, they make even the act of washing their hands seem epic), to the mouth-watering depictions of dishes such as parathas and kathi rolls, to the bits dialogue options Jala can have with their folks, revealing more about them and their histories. It’s fun gameplay with great visuals and a nice dose of narrative, plus you get some food items to use in battle later on. Overall, it’s an RPG mini-game with several levels of enjoyment that could be worthy of the Golden Saucer.
Overall, Thirsty Suitors is a unique blend of mechanics from different genres, all coming together to make what should hopefully be a superb experience. Jala appears to have a lot to work with in their life, with a lot of story bits yet to be uncovered, and we still haven’t even got to experience other locations, other possible activities, more of Timber Hills in general, so there’s still plenty of room for the game to surprise us even further when it arrives on November 2 for all major platforms.
