Thirsty Suitors

Last updated

Thirsty Suitors
Thirsty Suitors cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Outerloop Games
Publisher(s) Annapurna Interactive
Director(s) Chandana Ekanayake
Producer(s) Sunny Dube
Chandana Ekanayake
Anne-Marie Weber
Designer(s) Sunny Dube
Anna Krasner
Justin LaLone
Sadie Lee
Aung Zaw Do
Programmer(s) Ben Glous
Anna Krasner
Justin LaLone
Artist(s) Chandana Ekanayake
Lisa Fleck
Aleasha Ford
Darran Hurlbut
Emma Koch
Writer(s) Meg Jayanth
Chandana Ekanayake
Nadie Sharmmas
Leigh Alexander
Sunny Dube
Sadie Lee
Phillip Russell
Cassandra Khaw
Composer(s) Ramsey Kharroubi
Engine Unity [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseNovember 2, 2023
Genre(s) Adventure, dating sim, role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Thirsty Suitors is an adventure video game about a young woman, Jala, who returns to her hometown for her sister's wedding and must navigate her relationships with her family and former paramours. [2] It has been developed by Outerloop Games and published by Annapurna Interactive. [3] [4] The game was released on November 2, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. [5]

Contents

Thirsty Suitors received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

The game starts off with a south Asian-American woman, Jala Jayaratne (voiced by Farah Merani), who is on the bus reading through an online dating quiz called "Thirstsona," that takes us into a surreal daydream narrated by a narrator being close to her sister Aruni. During this quiz, Jala needs to pick answers from multiple-choice questions about her life. Once Jala arrived in her hometown called Timber Hills, she enters a restaurant where her third grade boyfriend, Sergio, starts a conversation with her that turns into a turn-battled battle. After beating him, he drives her back to her home where her family lives. Sergio later on calls a meeting by Jala's exes who got word about her return.

Gameplay

The player can engage in various game modes, including skateboarding, cooking minigames, and character conversations which function like turn-based battles. [6] To build Jala's personality, the game's daydream sequence at the start lets players build her "Thirstsona" by making narrative choices based on what Jala is around her Thirstsona by three classes; Heartbreaker, Star, or Bohemian.

For the turn-based battles, players need to choose from taunts, attacks, skills and items that ties back to the game's story, either flirt your opponent to weaken them or enrage them by their thirsty mood. The more you fight from Jala's run-ins with her exes, the more backstory from her on the choices you make Jala from her Thirstsona. When you level up, your rank around your Thirstsona will choose around the three classes by what status you are in. [7]

Development

The game was developed by Seattle-based Outerloop Games, who previously released Falcon Age in 2019. The studio began their development process by selecting three ideas for games to present to others in the video games industry in a pitch deck; the idea which later became Thirsty Suitors received the most positive attention. [8] Co-founder and creative director of Outerloop, Chandana Ekanayake, noted that most of the individuals to whom Outerloop pitched the game were middle-aged white men, which caused Ekanayake to change his pitching strategy. [3] This change involved focusing on the dearth of South Asian narratives in games, and highlighting successful media with such stories, such as the film Bend it Like Beckham and the television show Never Have I Ever . [3]

After deciding to move forward with the idea behind Thirsty Suitors exclusively, Outerloop eventually secured financing from Annapurna Interactive. [8] Outerloop increased its headcount to fourteen to develop the game. [8] The game was announced in December 2021. [9] Early gameplay footage was shown in June 2022. [10] On July 28, 2022, the game was announced to be scheduled for release on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a demo releasing on Steam the same day. [11] In June 2023, it was announced that the game would release on November 2, 2023. [5]

Reception

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [12] 79% of critics recommend the game on OpenCritic. [16]

Sanya Ahmed of IGN praised its story that while it can feel like it rushed at times, its pressure of a judgmental family and reconciling with exes through exaggerated battles makes the game very worthwhile. [20] Eurogamer's Kaan Serin enjoyed the game as "a confident swing that takes commonplace romantic mishaps and turns them into epic, queer spectacles." [18]

A review from WIRED praised the game being wildly creative as a hilarious and refreshing game made for the South Asian community, brimming with its cultural heritage and features good food loving families but does not paper over the bad from Jala's LGBTQ+ identity. [24] The Escapist reviews the game as stylish and coherent by its artwork and with the music, animation and effects all supporting this though. [25]

Nicole Carpenter from Polygon wrote about the game being a maximalist in both its visuals and mechanics with no shortage of sincerity tied up in there. [26] Kyle LeClair from Hardcore Gamer reviews the game for its "well-crafted RPG mechanics and satisfying combat, but its gleefully wild and colorful style and superb dialogue and characters are truly its biggest strength." [27]

Siobhán Casey's Rock Paper Shotgun praised the game as a breezy, janky RPG with emotional maturity that is "downright exciting to play something that, in place of overblown fantasy worldbuilding, is more interested in reflecting cultures, demographics, and relatable struggles that rarely get a spotlight in mainstream games." [28]

Accolades

Awards and nominations
YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2024 13th New York Game Awards Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a GameNominated [29] [30]
27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Nominated [31] [32]
Outstanding Achievement in Story Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Character (Jala)Nominated
Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 Social Impact AwardHonorable mention [33]
20th British Academy Games Awards Game Beyond Entertainment Nominated [34] [35]

Related Research Articles

<i>Baldurs Gate</i> Franchise of fantasy role-playing video games

Baldur's Gate is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The series has been divided into two sub-series, known as the Bhaalspawn Saga and the Dark Alliance, both taking place mostly within the Western Heartlands, but the Bhaalspawn Saga extends to Amn and Tethyr. The Dark Alliance series was released for consoles and was critically and commercially successful. The Bhaalspawn Saga was critically acclaimed for using pausable realtime gameplay, which is credited with revitalizing the computer role-playing game (CRPG) genre.

<i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The first installment of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, it was released for the Xbox on July 16, 2003, and for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003. It was ported to Mac OS X, iOS, and Android by Aspyr, and it is playable on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S via backward compatibility. A Nintendo Switch version was released on November 11, 2021.

Hitman is a stealth video game franchise created by IO Interactive. Each installment of the series has players assume the role of a cloned contract killer named Agent 47, who travels around the world to assassinate various targets that are assigned to him by the fictional International Contract Agency (ICA). Gameplay focuses on freedom of approach, with most levels placing the player in a large sandbox location where they have free rein to explore and find different ways to reach and eliminate their targets. Stealth is a major component of the gameplay and players are given various tools to accomplish their objectives, such as suppressed weaponry, items which can be used as improvised weapons, and the ability to take disguises which allow 47 to blend in with non-player characters (NPCs) and bypass most restricted areas without rousing suspicion.

<i>Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance II</i> 2004 video game

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is a 2004 hack and slash action role-playing game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment, with distribution handled by Vivendi Universal Games in North America and Avalon Interactive/Acclaim Entertainment in Europe. It is the sequel to the 2001 game Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance.

<i>Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance</i> 2001 video game

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a 2001 action role-playing video game developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment subsidiary Black Isle Studios for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox consoles, with High Voltage Software handling the GameCube port, and Magic Pockets developing the Game Boy Advance version. CD Projekt was developing a version for Microsoft Windows, but was ultimately cancelled. In 2021, a 4K port of the game was released for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

<i>The Wolf Among Us</i> 2013 video game

The Wolf Among Us is an episodic graphic neo-noir mystery-drama adventure game developed by Telltale Games, based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series, to which it serves as a prequel. The game consists of five episodes that were released throughout 2013 and 2014. Retail versions for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One consoles were made available in November 2014. In the game, players control Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown – a clandestine community within 1980s New York City consisting of various fantastical characters from fairy tales and folklore – and must investigate a series of mysterious murders, the first ones to occur in Fabletown in a long time.

<i>Divinity: Original Sin</i> 2014 video game

Divinity: Original Sin is a role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. The fourth main entry in the Divinity game series, it is a prequel to the original game Divine Divinity, and to the other main games in the series. It was first released on Microsoft Windows on 30 June 2014.

<i>Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons</i> 2013 video game

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a 2013 adventure game developed by Starbreeze Studios and published by 505 Games for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna. The narrative takes place in a fantasy world filled with fictitious creatures such as orcs and trolls, where two young brothers set out on a journey to find a cure for their father's illness. The game is often mentioned as an example of artistry in video games due to its heavy narrative. It received positive reviews from critics and had sold over 800,000 units by January 2015.

<i>Guacamelee!</i> 2013 Metroidvania platforming video game

Guacamelee! is a Metroidvania action platforming video game developed and published by DrinkBox Studios, initially launched in April 2013 for platforms PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita and was later ported to Windows in August and to OS X and Linux in February 2014. The enhanced Super Turbo Championship Edition was released for Wii U, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 in July 2014 and later on the Nintendo Switch in October 2018. The game is inspired by traditional Mexican culture and folklore, like alebrijes and Day of the Dead.

<i>Gorogoa</i> 2017 puzzle video game

Gorogoa is a puzzle video game developed by Jason Roberts and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and iOS on 14 December 2017, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 May 2018, and shortly thereafter an Android and Kindle Fire release.

<i>Outer Wilds</i> 2019 video game

Outer Wilds is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game features the player character exploring a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop that ends with the sun going supernova. The player explores the system on foot and in a small spacecraft, investigating the alien ruins of the Nomai and finding their history and the cause of the time loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annapurna Interactive</span> Video game publisher

Annapurna Games, LLC is an American video game publisher and developer. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016. Notable games published by the company include What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, Neon White and Stray.

<i>The Artful Escape</i> 2021 video game

The Artful Escape is a platform video game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was originally released on September 9, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on January 25, 2022.

<i>Baldurs Gate 3</i> 2023 video game

Baldur's Gate 3 is a 2023 role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main installment to the Baldur's Gate series, based on the tabletop fantasy role-playing system of Dungeons & Dragons. A partial version of the game was released in early access format for macOS and Windows in October 2020. It remained in early access until its full release for Windows in August 2023, with versions for PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S releasing later that year.

<i>Twelve Minutes</i> 2021 video game

Twelve Minutes is an adventure game developed by Luís António and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was originally released on August 19, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, with versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 released on December 7, 2021. A version for iOS and Android mobile devices was published by Netflix on December 13, 2022.

<i>Solar Ash</i> 2021 video game

Solar Ash is an action-adventure platform game game developed by Heart Machine and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was released on December 2, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows. It was also released via Steam on December 8, 2022, and it was released for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 14, 2023. The game's science fiction story explores themes of trauma and moving on from dramatic, devastating life events. It is set in the same fictional universe as Heart Machine's first and previous game, Hyper Light Drifter, but there are no direct connections between the two games' stories.

<i>Cocoon</i> (video game) 2023 video game

Cocoon is a 2023 puzzle adventure game developed by Geometric Interactive and published by Annapurna Interactive. The player controls a beetle that can hop between worlds, solving puzzles to unravel the universe's mysteries. The game was released on September 29, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

<i>Venba</i> (video game) 2023 video game

Venba is a narrative cooking video game developed and published by Visai Games. The story begins in 1988 and follows an immigrant Indian couple settling down in Canada and adjusting their day-to-day lives in the new environment. The player controls the titular character, Venba, an Indian woman who moves with her husband to Toronto, where they eventually have a son. The game draws heavily from Tamil culture and South Indian cuisine. The game was released on July 31, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

<i>Hi-Fi Rush</i> 2023 video game

Hi-Fi Rush is a 2023 rhythm-based action game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game's story follows self-proclaimed "future rock star" Chai, whose music player is accidentally embedded in his chest during experimental cybernetic surgery, allowing him to rhythmically fight and re-perceive the world through environmental synesthesia. Labelled a "defect" and hunted by the corporation that transformed him, Chai bands together with new friends to defeat the company's executives and put a stop to their plans.

<i>Lorelei and the Laser Eyes</i> 2024 video game

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a 2024 puzzle game developed by Simogo and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was released on May 16, 2024, on Windows and Nintendo Switch.

References

  1. ↑ Saver, Michael; Pung, Julia; Stanton, Devon (January 4, 2024). "Made with Unity: 2023 in review". Unity Technologies . Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  2. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (June 29, 2022). "Award-winning Thirsty Suitors is a different kind of game". Axios. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Farokhmanesh, Megan (June 16, 2022). "'Thirsty Suitors' Won't Fit In. That's the Point". Wired . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ Kaser, Rachel (December 10, 2021). "Annapurna and Outerloop reveal Thirsty Suitors, a new adventure game". VentureBeat . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Romano, Sal (June 29, 2023). "Thirsty Suitors launches November 2". Gematsu. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ Blake, Vikki (July 1, 2023). ""Stylish, story-driven" adventure Thirsty Suitors gets a release date". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ https://www.polygon.com/23158624/thirsty-suitors-preview-annapurna
  8. 1 2 3 Doherty, Kelly (January 26, 2022). "'Thirsty Suitors' and how your favourite indie video games get made". NME . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  9. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (December 10, 2021). "Annapurna Reveals Thirsty Suitors, an Action RPG About Skating and Dating". IGN . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ Clark, Nicole (June 10, 2022). "Thirsty Suitors early gameplay shows off bright visuals and dynamic dance battles". Polygon . Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  11. ↑ Romano, Sal (July 28, 2022). "Thirsty Suitors confirmed for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC; demo now available for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Thirsty Suitors for PC Reviews". Metacritic .
  13. ↑ "Thirsty Suitors for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic .
  14. ↑ "Thirsty Suitors for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic .
  15. ↑ "Thirsty Suitors for Nintendo Switch Reviews". Metacritic .
  16. 1 2 "Thirsty Suitors Reviews". OpenCritic . November 13, 2023.
  17. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/thirsty-suitors-review-steam-deck-pc/
  18. 1 2 https://www.eurogamer.net/thirsty-suitors-review
  19. ↑ https://www.gamesradar.com/thirsty-suitors-review/
  20. 1 2 https://www.ign.com/articles/thirsty-suitors-review
  21. ↑ https://www.pcgamer.com/thirsty-suitors-review/
  22. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/thirsty-suitors#:~:text=It%27s%20a%20deep%20experience%20packaged,a%20joy%20to%20play%20through.
  23. ↑ https://www.shacknews.com/article/137545/thirsty-suitors-review-score
  24. ↑ https://www.wired.com/review/thirsty-suitors-review/
  25. ↑ https://www.escapistmagazine.com/thirsty-suitors-review/
  26. ↑ https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23941250/thirsty-suitors-annapurna-impressions
  27. ↑ https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-thirsty-suitors/477195/
  28. ↑ https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/thirsty-suitors-review
  29. ↑ Kerr, Chris (January 4, 2024). "Alan Wake II and Baldur's Gate 3 lead 2024 New York Game Awards nominees". Game Developer . Archived from the original on January 4, 2024.
  30. ↑ McEvoy, Sophie (January 24, 2024). "Baldur's Gate 3 wins big at New York Game Awards 2024". Games Industry.biz.
  31. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  32. ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Thirsty Suitors". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  33. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (March 20, 2024). "Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 Winners: The Full List". IGN . Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Bafta Games Awards 2024: Baldur's Gate 3 and Spider-Man lead nods". BBC News. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  35. ↑ "20th BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. March 7, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.