In Thirsty Suitors, protagonist Jala has had a nasty break-up and moved again to the hometown she left beneath the shadow of darkness, and again to the folks she left excessive and dry. Realising her allies are few and much between, Jala units about making amends together with her household, whereas her earlier exes present their faces to stir issues up — and kick her butt.
Jala is a extremely attention-grabbing protagonist; by battles together with her exes and as conversations unveil her previous, you be taught she actually could be very problematic with the best way she treats folks. The place protagonists are sometimes holier than thou, can do no unsuitable and are in search of fact and justice, Jala feels very very like an actual one that has made errors and desires to proper her wrongs. Her motives are easy. This makes for an attachment to Jala which feels way more genuine and has you actually rooting for her.
Thirsty Suitors as an entire feels very actual and uncooked. Jala clearly has her personal points and hang-ups, and this doesn’t finish together with her. Her exes, household, and associates are all absolutely fleshed out and really feel like utterly separate characters relatively than clones of one another. They’ve completely different backgrounds, tales, and needs, and it’s actually attention-grabbing to see these unravel as the sport progresses. Range within the recreation is very well finished. It doesn’t really feel pressured or pointless. It’s actually refreshing to see such a diversified forged of characters, all effectively designed and likeable in their very own means.
As a bisexual lady of blended ethnicity, Jala doesn’t conform to what society expects of her. She has little interest in getting married, having kids, or going to varsity, info which her household can’t comprehend. Whether or not you’ll be able to absolutely relate to Jala or not, it looks like there’s one thing inside her that the majority can sympathise with.
The plot of Thirsty Suitors does really feel a bit flat in locations. There are two most important arcs launched early on; Jala’s sister’s upcoming wedding ceremony and a cult of skaters which has taken over an deserted amusement park, which the mayor desires to unload. Neither appear to have a lot to do with the opposite, and there’s not a variety of crossover of both, that means at any time it does really feel like the opposite is redundant. Every serves its goal; the marriage offers Jala alternative to work together together with her household and in the end search reconciliation together with her older sister, and the skater cult gives motivation for Jala to analyze on behalf of her ex-girlfriend.
Whereas the marriage plot does attain to the tip of the sport and has a decision, the skater cult arc appears to simply peter out and finish. There’s no grand battle, and we had been left with a sense of confusion; it was all very anticlimactic relative to the period of time devoted to that a part of the plot up till that time.
The sport’s turn-based fight in is basically cool. Jala can taunt her enemies to inflict varied statuses on them; shocked, thirsty, and heartbroken to call a number of. These statuses imply enemies are extra vulnerable to assaults of these sorts and extra harm will be inflicted. There are temporary quick-time occasions to finish when attacking or defending, success dictating how sturdy the assault or defence is. Jala may summon characters to ship an enormous assault, which does at instances really feel considerably damaged as a result of excessive harm they will inflict. That is very true afterward within the recreation when you’ll be able to summon extra characters, and there is not a restrict to the quantity you’ll be able to summon per battle. Jala has WP; will-power, which is the forex for attacking, and might replenish this by attacking or utilizing gadgets to refill together with HP.
There’s additionally a variety of minigames dotted all through, from skating within the amusement park and downtown to drag in excessive combo scores, to cooking together with your mother and father to win their affection. We significantly beloved cooking for the prospect to work together with Jala’s mum and pop, as they’re a number of the greatest characters in the entire recreation. Skating is enjoyable sufficient, however does really feel a little bit clunky with controls and instruction that felt prefer it did not actually clarify easy methods to rating combos. There are additionally a few situations of a dance minigame, which is okay, however feels prefer it was added in as an afterthought and is sort of repetitive.
Visually putting, Thirsty Suitors stands out in each means. Characters are vivid, vivid, and diversified. Even Jala’s endless supply of suitors despatched by her grandmother are decked out in lairy outfits which go away an impression. The skating cult Jala has to take down additionally packs a visible punch. Environments have you ever looking each nook to see what’s there, and the amusement park turned skate park is a very attention-grabbing scene. The stylistic artwork model is so visually interesting; it is completely different, however acquainted, and by no means will get boring to have a look at. In the meantime, the soundtrack doesn’t intrude on the remainder of the sport, and relatively lets it shine as an entire, offering an amazing background to the remainder of the story.
Conclusion
Whereas on the skin Thirsty Suitors looks like a tongue-in-cheek recreation about reconnecting together with your previous, it reveals a lot extra beneath the floor. That is to not say it is not humorous, nevertheless it’s additionally doing way more in addition to. It is a commentary on societal expectations, residing as a second-generation immigrant in a distinct tradition, discovering your self, and accepting others. It is a deep expertise packaged in such a light-hearted field, and by no means feels overbearing. The story of Jala, her household, and associates, every with their very own lived experiences, feels so vital and related to right now’s society, and it is a pleasure to play by.