Mothergamer Plays Thirsty Suitors

 A good friend suggested I play Thirsty Suitors because they thought I would love it. They weren't wrong. I quite enjoyed everything about this game. That's how good it is. Two of the biggest things that made me so happy about this game is the South and Southeast Asian representation among the characters and the queer representation. Both are done really well and so beautifully it made my Filipino queer heart incredibly overjoyed. 

Thirsty Suitors starts with the main character Jala, a local skateboarding legend returning home to the town of Timber Hills after years of being away. The game clues you in immediately that Jala had a bad falling out with her family and a bunch of exes before she left and her returning home after a bad breakup is pretty awkward. There's a fun mini tutorial to get you used to the controls in the game with moving around, skating, and doing tricks on the skateboard before you get off the bus and head into town. Many have called this game a break up simulator, but it's much more than that. It's about facing the past, taking the time for self reflection, and learning from it in order to find a way forward towards doing and being better. 

Jala and Machan the dog. Yes, you can pet the dog!

There are lots of things you can do in Thirsty Suitors apart from the main story such as going to the skate park and doing the challenges  for some pretty nice rewards like outfit changes and new boards. There is combat in the game, but not the way you think. The combat is turn based and Jala has to use her words and thoughts as a mood system to take advantage of winning the battle. With the random suitors it's a way to level grind and boost Jala's stats. With Jala's exes in town, it's a little different. They're essentially the boss battle with the stage being an inner world representing their feelings towards not just Jala, but how they feel about themselves. You have to really think about strategy and what you want to say in order to resolve the conflict between Jala and her exes. It's handled quite well and thoughtfully in regards to the cultural and queer identities and I loved every minute of it. 

Jala needed to hear how her exes really felt, for example how she really devastated a girlfriend who was her first love for always breaking up with her for other people so much she doubted her own self worth even during her transition. The voice acting for this scene especially was great with the raw emotions and I was sucked in the entire time. When Jala is successful with the exes battle, there's always a great scene of both parties having some closure and understanding each other a little better. I also like the fact that there is not always forgiveness, but an acceptance of realizing sometimes a relationship is not always a good fit for either person and that it's okay to let it go. 

Jala has a dance off with her ex Sergio. 

One thing that was a constant in the game is cooking. I loved the cooking minigame because it was fun and you get to learn about all the different South Asian dishes and food is a big part of the game too. It adds another layer to Jala talking about how she felt about her culture as a kid and also dives deeper into the relationships with her exes and her family. It bodes well to do the cooking because different dishes boost Jala's stats, heal her health, and can also help mend some relationships and friendships. I especially loved the moments when Jala would get to cook with her dad because it gave you a nice view into how they were kindred spirits and her dad was definitely a buffer between her and her mother when they were struggling to understand each other. I loved the cooking moments with her mother too because you got to see Jala realize that her mother was a person with her own hopes and dreams when she was her age and that she may have struggled with that too. The cooking aspect showcases this really well and it's wonderful to see how each person's attitudes change as they come to understand each other a little better. 

Time for some cooking! 

Throughout the entire eight hours of the game, I was invested in everything. The story, the cooking, skating at the park, and finding lots of collectibles made it thoroughly engaging. From the South Asian perspective, it was wonderful and felt like coming home. I also felt really seen with the queer romances, the varying body types, and most of all the universal message that food can bring so many of us together. I loved that it showed that sometimes familial relationships and romantic relationships can be messy, but that communicating with each other is important and it may not resolve everything, but it at least can help to find mutual understanding. 

I also appreciated by the end of the game you get to see the growth that happens to Jala as she finally stops running away and faces her past and has those much needed genuine conversations with her family and her exes. Seeing her grow as a person and really taking those steps to try and change throughout the story and seeing it gradually happen is fantastic. Thirsty Suitors was so enjoyable and I loved experiencing Jala's journey. There was the right balance of humor and connections within the story that made it really stand out. After the main story, you can putter around in the game at the skate park trying new challenges or finishing up side quests you may have missed which is great if you're not ready to say goodbye to Jala yet. Everything about this game was amazing and I'm glad I checked it out. 

Jala and her ex Tyler come to understand each other.

*Thirsty Suitors is available on the following platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and PC

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