Episode 99 - Ben’s Critique of Thirsty Suitors from The Two Vague Podcast

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Episode 99 - Ben’s Critique of Thirsty Suitors

51 minutes Posted Jan 7, 2024 at 4:47 am.

Norah compliments Andrew, buys new things, and reviews "The Maestro" in brief

Thirsty, UK slang, based on context, Annapurna, and Outerloop’s mission statement

Falcon Age summary, Thirsty Suitors described, and Norah’s impressions of trailer

Jala’s introduction / summary / prologue, and Ben explains his review structure

Ben’s audio / video / aesthetics score is 10/10, and Norah’s assessment from trailer

First, Thirsty Suitor’s skateboarding game mechanics

Second, a description of QTEs and how cooking works in Thirsty Suitors

Third, a detailed breakdown of how turn based battles work in Thirsty Suitors

Finally, the story and narrative in Ben’s words followed by Norah’s questions

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.

The game has well written dialogue, powerful emotional moments, and contains authentic portrayals of LGBTQ+ and S. Asian experiences.

The amazing aesthetics and style are a tribute to the love and effort the developers poured into this game.

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.

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.

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.

When A’s turn (based on a true story), design creep, skateboarding, and Aggretsuko

In retrospect not a great look, conflict resolution, Jala’s arc, and Rob in High Fidelity

Meaningful stories, sales techniques, T.S. Eliot quote, and agreeing to a point

Ben nitpicks the title and tagline, succinct, and Norah’s unintentional “sick burn”

An apology, on a tear, global warming, mayonnaise, and an official close.

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Show notes

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!

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)

Game Mechanics (GM)

Story and Narrative (SN)

Three Positives

Three Negatives

Wrap-up Discussion

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

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