Battle Your Exes And Disappoint Your Parents In Thirsty Suitors

If a game with the tagline, “battle your exes, disappoint your parents, find yourself”, sounds exactly up your alley, Thirsty Suitors is the upcoming RPG for you. Developed by minority-led indie studio Outerloop Games, the title follows the story of Jala as she returns to her town (and her family) – all the while skating, cooking, and engaging in active turn-based combat against old flames.

Thirsty Suitors promises a story about “culture, relationships, family pressures, and expressing oneself” as Jala tries to reconcile with her exes and mend friendships before her sister’s wedding and the impending visit of her family’s terrifying matriarch, Paati. 

While navigating family drama in Thirsty Suitors, you get the real hometown experience of running into exes, and perhaps the less realistic but equally as fun experience of engaging in cinematic battle sequences with said exes, Scott Pilgrim-style. Based on the teaser videos, the combat mechanics include taunts and special abilities, as well as a unique mood system that allows you to take advantage of vulnerabilities (including a ‘thirsty’ taunt that leaves your opponent too stunned to take their move). You can take the fight to random suitors sent by well-meaning family members, skate punks who want to knock you down a peg, and, of course, the ever-present exes.

While the over-the-top combat is a hilarious part of Thirsty Suitors, the Tony Hawk-esque skating also looks just as fun, with combos, movesets, and challenges to pull off around town and at the skatepark (as well as a storyline that involves taking down skate punks and their leader).

If you’re more of a cooking game kind of person, there’s a whole portion of Thirsty Suitors dedicated to that, too – although it’s decidedly less Cooking Mama and a bit more action-packed (have you ever done a spinning handstand while stirring a pot at the stove? I haven’t, either – but it looks a lot cooler than my usual cooking routine). Cooking also involves trying to impress your discerning parents and repair your relationship with a full menu of delicious South Asian-inspired dishes to boot.

Thirsty Suitors launches 2 November (3 November for Australians) on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch – and I’m so ready.

Lead Image Credit: Outerloop Games / Annapurna Interactive