Thirsty Suitors

Annapurna Interactive usually has no doubts about releasing odd titles. Sometimes there are big hits like Stray and Outer Wilds, which not only became sales successes but were also named the best of the year in several categories by several publications, but often they are games that do not reach a large audience. They fly way under the radar and never get any real attention, just sitting there collecting dust on the digital store shelf. Thirsty Survivors is definitely one of these. A strange mix of dating simulator, skateboarding, cooking and turn-based combat. It's also a virtual smackdown of the establishment, with issues of ethnicity, sexuality, politics and religion often taking centre stage. Not a game that appeals to the masses perhaps, but for those who are ready for something that definitely stands out from the crowd, there's a lot of twisted entertainment to be found here.

I play as Jala, a skateboarding young woman who returns to her hometown of Timber Hills to try and patch up her broken family life, apologise and seek revenge on those she feels have wronged her. She left both overprotective parents and various love partners a couple of years ago when she simply left town and tried to find something new in life. However, the new start did not go well and she is now back where everything once started. A decision that is not entirely uncontroversial in the small community where everyone knows everyone. After an intro where I have found out my personality by answering a number of very private questions, through which I unsurprisingly became "The Heartbreaker", I land in Timber Hills, an on the surface picturesque small American town, but it will turn out that both narrow-mindedness and deeply hidden secrets are concealed here. My invisible sidekick, in the form of my "perfect" sister Aruni, guides me through dialogues and street fights and therein lies the main gameplay but that's making it sound too easy because even though it may seem simple and probably also quite boring, Thirsty Suitors contains so much more. There are multiple layers of complexity that make it a rather unique and highly creative experience.

Wherever I go, or rather skate in Timber Hill's various neighbourhoods, I run into my exes and there's always a fight, but it's not just a turn-based battle that requires precise button presses at the right time, it's also a conversation. In between knuckle sandwiches and various other more advanced combat techniques, there is a constant, sassy dialogue between me and my combatant, making the fight something of a puzzle where we both try to find each other's weaknesses through insults or flirting in order to strike where we feel most comfortable. By building up my willpower by dealing out basic attacks, I can use different types of taunts, which opens up for special attacks and if it gets too tough, I can also call in my mum as a last resort, which makes all lovesick men and women shake in their boots. If I can play dirty, I do it. I live exclusively by the motto, in war and love everything is allowed. Once I have defeated one of my antagonists, I get experience points and money. The points can then be used to upgrade Jala's abilities, and the cash can be spent in various shops where I can buy new clothes or items to make fighting easier. If it's a boss fight, i.e. a showdown with a real ex, I also get a charm with special powers to attach to my early 2000s Nokia-esque handset. Basic role-playing features, in other words. However, not all battles involve an ex but sometimes it's one of my grandmother's sent suitors and then it's not as fun anymore. These battles quickly become monotonous as they contain neither special attacks nor any deeper dialogue.

From time to time I am called home to my parents, either to get some kind of side job from the timid father or to cook with my anything but tender mother. Then she will judge my skills in the kitchen and now a completely different kind of game opens up. Now it becomes a cooking simulator and just like in the fights, it is done with precision pressing of buttons at just the right moment, which can sometimes be more difficult than the fights. However, the cooking segment is something that becomes almost necessary in the later part of the game as the difficulty level slowly but surely rises the further into the adventure I get. The dishes I learn to prepare then literally become a lifesaver.

All of the exes I encounter carry their own inner turmoil and trauma and have their own coping mechanisms, which are excellently woven into the main story and thus also affect Jala's life. For example, Diya is a lesbian and one of Jala's exes. She was disowned by her family at a young age, leaving her to fend for herself. Her parents, who live in the same city, just a few streets down, do not even recognise her. After their confrontation, Jala is forced to reflect on her own life and her relationship with her family. The depth of these stories and characters is impressive. At the same time, it is filled to the brim with distinctive humour. The clues handed out by Uncle Hinti are of course nothing short of genius. That the aforementioned mother shows up and sweeps someone who has been unpleasant with a slipper is much funnier than it should be.

The cel-shaded aesthetic with its colourful environments is both beautiful and interesting and each location and character has their own unique style that really suits them. There's also a wide variety of locations ranging from neon-lit nightclubs to desolate graveyards, all to suit the personality of the person I'm fighting. Plus, there are plenty of pop culture references, with both The X-Files and The Shining being mentioned in the right context.

The skateboarding part works great as it's a much faster way to get through Timber Hills than the traditional trudging around but every now and then I'm also challenged in tricks by some edgy skate punk and then Thirsty Suitors suddenly turns into a light-hearted mix of Tony Hawk and SSX Tricky. I can do rails, ollies and all the usual stuff but I can also run on walls and use the skateboard as a zipline. As you can see, there is a lot to do and one game moment is not the same as another. Something that unfortunately also becomes the game's blessing and curse because sometimes it feels as if Outerloop Games has tried to cram a little too much into the just over ten hour long game, which leaves me with a feeling of slight disappointment, where some parts simply felt really rushed. That said, the advantages still outweigh the disadvantages and I had an unexpectedly good time in Timber Hills, despite the fact that as a middle-aged white heterosexual man I'm probably about as far away from the target audience for this game as possible.