There’s also the looming figure of Jala’s overseas grandma Paati.

The game’s three main systems offer different ways of rebuilding all those burned bridges.

you might also insult or flirt with him in dialogue to shape the outcome.

Character art of main character Jala and her exes from Thirsty Suitors.

It creates breathing room and lets each side have their say.

But it can also lead to a kinder, more constructive response.

And yeah, it’s tricky.

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But also, I think it’s comfortable enough for folks that have played other turn-based combat games."

“I really liked how that system felt,” Ekanayake says.

“And we started with that.

Main character Jala grinding rails around a themepark turned skatepark in Timber Hills, setting for Thirsty Suitors.

It feels like a fresh perspective due to the narrative of the game.”

But it’s a weird, weird mash of things that we did to tell this particular story."

“These are all real recipes,” notes Ekanayake.

Main character Jala facing off with her ex Sergio in a love-battle scene from Thirsty Suitors.

“We have a lot of immigrants on the team, and these are recipes from various cultures.

“A lot of our playtesters liked the vibe and the feeling of that.”

It’s pretty forgiving if you hit something - we just lower the combo.

Jala and Sergio shaking hands and letting bygones be bygones after a battle in Thirsty Suitors.

It’s not as difficult as, like, Tony Hawk.”

Thirsty Suitors main character Jala stirring a pot in one of the game’s fantastical cooking sequences.

Thirsty Suitors main character using a seductive Mood attack to put an opponent in a Thirsty state, giving them a chance of missing the next attack.