Episode 99 - Ben’s Critique of Thirsty Suitors

Ben and Norah are on deck for the first show of 2024!  Ben does something a little different to start out this year… a game review!  The game is… <drumroll>… Outerloop Games’ sophomore release “Thirsty Suitors,” and in an effort to quench, Ben has a big bucket of opinions he’s going to dump on us.  He starts by explaining his assessment method (which will be discussed in more detail on a forthcoming show) and then gets in the weeds with sharing his critique of TS’s aesthetics, game mechanics, and story.  Ben also provides 3 examples of what the game does well and 3 examples of what needs improvement.  Norah unintentionally closes the show with a SICK BURN!

00:00:21 - Norah compliments Andrew, buys new things, and reviews "The Maestro" in brief
00:02:37 - Thirsty, UK slang, based on context, Annapurna, and Outerloop’s mission statement 
00:05:07 - Falcon Age summary, Thirsty Suitors described, and Norah’s impressions of trailer
00:07:51 - Jala’s introduction / summary / prologue, and Ben explains his review structure  

FORMULA
Aesthetics (A) + Game Mechanics (GM) + Story and Narrative (SN) = a video game experience
Ben’s importance percentages = 20% A + 35% GM + 45% SN

Aesthetics (A) 
00:10:32 - Ben’s audio / video / aesthetics score is 10/10, and Norah’s assessment from trailer

Game Mechanics (GM) 
00:12:21 - First, Thirsty Suitor’s skateboarding game mechanics 
00:13:16 - Second, a description of QTEs and how cooking works in Thirsty Suitors
00:17:29 - Third, a detailed breakdown of how turn based battles work in Thirsty Suitors 

Story and Narrative (SN)
00:23:32 - Finally, the story and narrative in Ben’s words followed by Norah’s questions 

Three Positives
00:27:24 - For the first 6 hours of gameplay the synthesis of the game mechanics, the striking visuals, and the compelling story combine to make a near perfect gaming experience.
00:27:59 - The game has well written dialogue, powerful emotional moments, and contains authentic portrayals of LGBTQ+ and S. Asian experiences.  
00:28:22 - The amazing aesthetics and style are a tribute to the love and effort the developers poured into this game.

Three Negatives
00:28:35 - Feels unfinished in a number of ways. There are only 5 super moves and only 2 of the 5 are exes. The level meter maxes out at 31 but it continues to appear like it is filling after each subsequent battle has concluded.  There is a beautiful, but unnecessary map screen which gives one the impression that there would be much more to explore. 
00:30:23 - The story has an “identity crisis” at the midpoint of the game and doesn’t commit to develop any of the storylines as significantly as the first 6 hours did.  Additionally some story details don’t make sense logically or are counter to what you would expect that characters would have learned. 
00:34:25 - South Asian cultural and historical exploration is not comprehensive as expected from Outerloop based on the statement at their website.  Side note: please include the recipes next time.

Wrap-up Discussion
00:35:59 - When A’s turn (based on a true story), design creep, skateboarding, and Aggretsuko
00:40:03 - In retrospect not a great look, conflict resolution, Jala’s arc, and Rob in High Fidelity
00:43:13 - Meaningful stories, sales techniques, T.S. Eliot quote, and agreeing to a point 
00:48:30 - Ben nitpicks the title and tagline, succinct, and Norah’s unintentional “sick burn”
00:51:04 - An apology, on a tear, global warming, mayonnaise, and an official close.   

Ben’s FINAL VERDICT on Thirsty Suitors aka the MATH!
(10 * .20) + (6 * .35) + (6 * .45) = 6.8 out of 10… things.

DO BUY… if you want to support marginalized voices in game design (and companies like Outerloop and Annapurna).
DO PLAY… if you are new to JRPG style games and want an introduction to how those types of game mechanics work.
DO PLAY… if you would be satisfied with 5-6 hours (out the 12 hours it took Ben to thoroughly explore and complete the game) of super solid, amazingly crafted gameplay. 

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References and Hashtags:
https://annapurnainteractive.com/en - #annapurnainteractive 
https://outerloopgames.com/ - #outerloopgames
https://www.thirstysuitors.com/ - #thirstysuitors
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1617220/Thirsty_Suitors/
https://www.falconage.com/ - #falconage
https://www.polygon.com/23940890/thirsty-suitors-release-date-interview-annapurna - #gamedevinterview #polygon #diversity