Thirsty Suitors - TV Tropes

Thirsty Suitors is an Action RPG video game developed by Outerloop Games and published by Annapurna Interactive. Players control Jala, a second-generation South Asian American who returns to her tiny home town for her sister’s wedding. There, she’s confronted by her parents’ disappointment, a cult of skate-punks, and all her old suitors, many of whom harbor old wounds and emotions. Now Jala must confront her former lovers in increasingly strange boss battles if she is ever to find any closure.

The game released on November 2, 2023.

Previews: Reveal Trailer, Gameplay preview

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Tropes:

• Abandonment-Induced Animosity: Jala gets varying degrees of this from those she knew due to her elopement, but from well before that Aisha is holding a grudge for her and her brother Ifran being ghosted by her after their father passed away.
• The Ace: Jala is stated that she was outstanding at school in both academic and athletical achievements. If you play her well enough, she's also an amazing cook that can work any recipe on their first try, a superb skater that can become respected enough by the weird local skating cult around the abandoned skatepark, and a great crash-therapist that can talk through her exes' problems in a single mental battle.
  • Broken Ace: At the same time, Jala suffers from a lot of issues that she gets rightfully called on for, between abandoning her family and relationships, cheating, being callous and selfish, disappearing without a trace and not contacting back for years, self-doubts, self-hating, and more. It becomes clear that being the daughter and granddaughter of two incredibly harsh and demanding Indian women who have gone through Generational Trauma has done a big number on her psyche.
• Affectionate Nickname: Jala's father calls her "idli", Jalu, Jalabanana and Jala-wala.
• Age-Gap Romance: It's never disclosed how old Diya is, but it's matter-of-fact stated that she and Auntie Chandra are exes. Auntie C, despite being buff as hell, looks no younger than 50 years old and already has gray hairs and wrinkles, while Diya looks at least a little older than Jala, who is currently 24, and they met and started a relationship when they were both in middle school.
  • Jala herself undergoes one with Jennifer, her unseen ex with whom she escaped Timber Hills for three years. Jala is 24 at the start of the game, and those who comment negatively on their affair (i,e. everybody) says that Jennifer is in her 30s, meaning Jala was 21 when they met.
• Alliterative Name: Jala's full name is Jala Jayaratne.
• Ambiguous Time Period: In this game lingo from The New '20s is intermixed with references to Nokia phones and AOL.
• Ambiguously Evil: Soundie. They (probably) want to only help the lost and bored skating children of Timber Hills to skate freely in the abandoned park, but as the story progress we see that they start to feel more like a cult if anything; their devotion to Soundie goes beyond reasonable, and some, like Aisha, will try and stop anyone on leaving either Timber Hills or Soundie. Soundie themself sounds more and more megalomaniacal the more you talk to them and do their quests, to the point it's easy to forget that it's all about skating and a skate park. The Epilogue chapter basically erases the ambiguous part of it.
• Ambiguous Gender: Soundie. Their voice is genderless/androgyne enough to sound both male and female, and there is absolutely no hint about their gender at all, with the plus that they never take their bear mask off.
• Amicable Exes: Jala confronts and reconciles with all her exes as friends.
• Anger Born of Worry: Jala's dad confides in her that the main reason he took his sister coming out so badly was because he felt she was making life for herself more difficult.
• Arc Words: A recurring statement is how the exes Jala burned thought confronting her would make them feel better, but that it isn't nearly as cathartic as they hoped.
• Better as Friends: Jala and Tyler reconcile in that, before they started dating, they were friends and family first, and resolve to maintain boundaries against romantic relationships while remaining close and supportive in the future.
• Big Bad: Tyler seems to be set up as the 'big bad' of the story, but is not. It's revealed to be more complicated than that. The person who set up the exes confronting Jala was none other than Aruni herself, Jala's sister. On the other hand, after you finish the main story, the Final Boss is none other than Paati, Jala's grandma. But specifically, the 'big bad' is Generational Trauma.
• Big Beautiful Woman: Diya is the most rotund of the exes, but also very hot. Jala herself can't help but thirst after her very wide hips a few times.
• Big Sister Worship: Jala clearly looks up to her sister, as the voice of reason in her head takes the form of a glamorous rockstar looking version of her.
• Birds of a Feather: Tyler and Andile's friendship is strengthened by similar experiences with their gender identities, Tyler being trans and Andile being nonbinary.
• Bittersweet Ending: Jala finally makes amends with both her family and her exes. She even makes amends with Paati, and they enjoy Aruni's wedding with everybody in the family!. Soundie, however, it's still at large and planning to bring Timber Hills down and remake them in their own image.
• But Not Too Black: Implied. Jala claims that Paati favoured Aruni over her because Aruni had lighter skin.
• The Chain of Harm: A major plot point of the game is that one of the major reasons that Jala treated her exes so badly was because her grandmother's influence on her mother led her mother to project her upbringing and insecurities onto Jala, making her terrified of love, even though she grew up in a loving household.
• Cooking Mechanics: As the plot progresses, cooking mini games where Jala works to create a number of South Asian dishes to impress her parents are unlocked.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: According to Auntie Chandra, Jala's grandmother was pissed that her daughter married a non-Indian man. She also objects to Aruni dating Ahmed because he isn't Indian.
• Disappeared Dad: According to Sergio's Suitor Status screen, the reason why he is so obsessed with Jala is because of his overbearing mother and his absentee father.
• Sidetracked by the Gold Saucer: Jala can do the main quest missions any time she wants, and there's a LOT of mini-games you can play whenever you want, both for fun, for score and for prizes like music tapes and clothes, including cooking, skating, dancing, playing dexterity mini-games and so forth.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Diya chastises Jala if you choose to sympathise with her after she reveals that her parents kicked her out after she came out as gay.
• Dumped via Text Message: Jala did worse to Tyler when she eloped with Jennifer three years prior; she dumped her by pay phone, calling collect.
• Enemy Mine: If you consider Soundie to be an antagonist (even if you do play skating quests for them), you can call for them as a summon in any of your fights, except against the skating cub leaders for obvious reasons.
• The Faceless: Soundie never EVER takes their mask off, for absolutely nothing. It makes them feel more threatening, as if they just disappeared into their role of Soundie.
• The First Cut Is the Deepest: For a number of exes, their first romance was with Jala, and they have a hard time leaving it all behind, specially for Tyler (among other issues she has with Jala).
• Foreshadowing: Jala can play rhythm mini-games in some places like Auntie C's bodyshop, the local store and the local bar. All of these mini-games are then unlocked for your ultimate evolved skills that can hit multiple enemies at the same time.
• Former Bigot: Downplayed. Jala's father admits that he didn't talk to his sister for a few years after she came out as lesbian, but has since reconciled with her. Additionally, he is supportive of his daughter liking girls and her girlfriend Tyler's transition. He also gets really angry when Jala tells him that Diya's parents kicked her out for being gay.
• Former Teen Rebel: While not nearly as dramatic and being settled now, Jala's parents had quite the storied youth themselves, meeting at a protest rally during The Emergency, and eloping to America. Jala's dad even admits to have caused some mischief with friends afterwards.
• Full-Name Ultimatum: Paati gives Jala one after Jala comes to a Heel Realization that Paati was the one that made Jala scared of love.

  Paati: JALA JAYARATNE! It's TIME to CALL YOUR MOTHER!

• Gayngst: Jala's Aunt Chandra and her ex-girlfriend Diya were both kicked out of their homes when they came out as gay.
• Generational Trauma: All of Jala's issues surrounding her feelings about love stems from her mother's tumultuous relationship with her grandmother. The music for the fight against her Paati is even called Generational Trauma, and the imaginary version of Tyler from that fight discusses the Chain of Harm the oppression of women in marriages has caused.
• The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: A semi-dramatic example. Jala and Aruni have a REALLY strained relationship, no helped by the fact that Jala ditched town three years ago with her fling, Jennifer, who was a friend of Aruni's, as she introduced each other.
  • During the story, we learn that Aruni was favored over Jala because of being the oldest and most promising, but Jala became Paati's favorite later after Aruni got engaged to Ahmed, who's not Indian (and therefore, in no favor from Paati, who was already mad for DECADES that her daughter, Jala and Aruni's mom, married another non-Indian), and also because Jala was basically great at everything she did. Jala and Aruni grew up with jealousy between each other, and their relationship went completely south after the aforementioned escape.
  • It's heavily implied by Jala herself to Paati that Aruni was also favored because she had fairer skin, compared to Jala's dark complexion. It's also implied that, despite Paati's enough open-mindness in sending also both female and non-binary suitors, she never really understood or liked the fact that Jala is not straight, while at least Aruni is marrying a man.
• The Ghost: Though their influence drives the plot, we never see Jala's ex Jennifer or Aruni's fiancé Ahmed.
• Goths Have It Hard: Tyler looks like a heavy metal goth, and the amount of times she smiles or says something positive can be counted with one hand.
• Hates Being Called Cute: Diya and Shah Rukh, Irfan's cat.

  Jala: You were always so passionate. Even in middle school. It's cute.

  Diya: Cute? CUTE? I'm not cute I'm DANGEROUS and SEXY.

  Jala: I've never met a cat who was a guard dog before. Cute.

  Shah Rukh: I am not CUTE. I'm a TERRIFYING SPECTER. I'm going to HAUNT YOUR DREAMS.

• Identity Breakdown: Andile has internal conflicts over their cultural heritage, their identity as an American and how their nonbinary identity slots in with either. During their battle with Jala, Andile will change color and their name will become Kwame then Andi to illustrate the polarization of their identity. Jala helps talk them through all these parts existing in concert, not conflict.
• Imaginary Friend: Jala has a more punk rock looking, imaginary version of her sister labeled the Narrator that comments on the events of the game as they unfold. For some reason, Tyler can respond to her comments as if Jala herself is speaking them, which raises some questions.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Andile opens with some humblebragging on how booked and busy their professional life is, but it becomes clear that they're also carrying some major insecurities over issues in their personal life.
• Instant Costume Change: As soon as the exes are ready to trade barbs in their mental world, they will done battle costumes based on their feelings and culture. Even Jala herself puts on a costume in the (second round) fight against Paati! Paati herself is the only one of the bosses that doesn't put on any costume in her fight. Fridge Brilliance may hit when you realize that Paati may be ALREADY on her battle costume since she came from India.
• I Shall Taunt You: Part of the combat system is using taunts to inflict status effects of sorts. Jala can taunt and be taunted by her opponents, while the former has moves that deal extra damage for each status.,
• Karma Houdini: Soundie. No matter what you do, the skating children will not leave Soundie's side. Soundie declares in the epilogue that they will not stop until everything in Timber Hills is built upon their own image, and Jala has the option to state that she agrees to be part of it, or that she will never rest until she stops Soundie. But, in any case, the story stops right there.
• Killer Yo-Yo: Some of Jala's attacks include using her walkman as a yo-yo to attack her foes. It later evolves in Jala using a boombox.
• Lampshade Hanging: Jala does a lot of flips and flourishes while cooking. When her mother questions this, she's justifies it as having a little fun.
• Level Ate: Bruno's inner worlds is a Malaysian themed place made of candy, with himself splitting into three candy theme super sentai figures who attacks with giant desserts. This signifies him as hedonistic who's all sweet-talk, but has little substance beneath the surface.
• Malicious Misnaming: Aisha calls Jala "Jerkaratne", a corruption of her actual last name, Jayaratne.
• Maligned Mixed Marriage: Jala's grandmother isn't fond of the fact that her Indian Tamil daughter married a Sri Lankan Sinhalese man or that her granddaughter is marrying a non-Indian man.
• The Man Behind the Man: It seems like Tyler is the one who set up the exes confronting Jala, even though she didn't want any part on it, and Sergio was the one who proposed the idea. Neither of them, however, organized the party; It was Aruni, Jala's sister, who wanted both to torture Jala and to distract her long enough so they wouldn't meet and Aruni could finish setting up everything for her wedding.
• Mental World: All of Jala's exes (including her grandmother) have the ability to pull Jala into their inner worlds, the inner worlds where they see themselves as.
• Missing Mom: Irfan's mother died when he was a kid.
• Mooks: Besides the exes, you can fight against Paati's Suitors, people who Jala's grandma sent so she can finally settle down. After unlocking the skatepark, you can then fight against Soundie's skating cubs.
• Mundane Made Awesome: Relationship drama and arguments made into full on RPG battles, acrobatic flourishes used for taking off your jacket and shoes at home or cooking, Jala certainly knows how to keep her life exciting.
• Never Mess with Granny: Paati is someone who you should NEVER mess with, if you want to leave with your psychological health intact.
• No Ending: The main story (Jala coming back to make amends and patch up things with her family and exes, and grow up as a person) ends in a pretty good note. The SIDESTORY about Soundie and their cult, however, just stops in its tracks, with no resolution.
• Non-Action Big Bad: A downplayed example. Aruni is revealed as the one who set up the exes to confront Jala, but she's not the Big Bad, and you never fight her beyond some drama and terse talk.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: For all we know, Soundie is probably not their real name, but then again it seems like nobody knows what they are actually called.
• Out of Focus: Of all of Jala's exes, Bruno is the one who has the least camera presence and importance. Once you fight (and learn about his mistakes and issues), he ditches town to keep on traveling. Even if he appears in your suitors page, you can't do any quests for him, nor you can raise your 'heart' meter as with the other exes, nor you see him again any time after. The only times he shows in any capacity is as an imaginary mental summon in Tyler's fight, and as a postcard that Jala can see in the Epilogue. He doesn't have a "closure"-style animated screen with Jala either, as with the other exes.
• Panthera Awesome: Irfan's pet cat, Shah Rukh has the ability to transform from a mere cat, to a ferocious tiger in Ifran's inner world.
• Pet the Dog: A literal example. You can pet Machan, the local skating dog at the diner in a rhythm-based mini game.
• Promotion to Parent: Irfan essentially raised his sister Aisha by himself after their father was diagnosed with cancer and his mother died when he was a child.
• Punny Name: Hints are dropped throughout the game by a figure named Uncle Hinti.
• Queer Colors: Jala's starting outfit is a pink and yellow jacket with blue jeans combo, the colours of the pansexual flag, and Auntie Chandra's top has a pattern with the colours of the lesbian flag on it.
• Relationship Revolving Door: Deconstructed; Jala has Commitment Issues that led her to running out on Tyler and starting whirlwind romances with multiple other people. This contributes to Tyler feeling insecure about not being good enough for her, as well as self-loathing that she keeps taking her back.
• Secret Character: Downplayed example. As the story progresses, doing both main and side quests, you can unlock basically all the important characters (except Paati), and mooks to skate whenever you want in both the town and the skatepark. You can even unlock all the exes in both their regular and battle-uniform forms. In the rest of the game, and in the cooking and fighting scenes, you only play as Jala.
• Shadow Archetype: Bruno is all of Jala's flaws as a person and romantic partner turned up. Like her, he's an immigrant who chooses to indulge himself while drifting from one relationship to another, having ghosted Jala after convincing her to elope with him, but unlike her he shows little to no remorse. He even has the gall to try and get back with her again while she confronts him over abandoning her. His personal life isn't much better, as his parents in Malaysia are paying for his education in the states but he's secretly spending their money to live a bohemian lifestyle. It's notable that he's the only ex where Jala was the sole one that was wronged, and is the only one she doesn't fully reconcile with.
• Shoe Slap: Jala can summon her mother in battle to dispatch enemies with a whack of her chappal.
• Redemption Rejection: Jala tries to talk Bruno into owning up to lying to his parents about how he's spending the money they send for his education and at least settling down in one place instead of drifting around. Bruno denies the offer and disappears from the rest of the game.
• Rhythm Game: The whole game, besides the skating gameplay and the walking cycle. Whenever you cook and fight, you better be good at punching those buttons to get amazing scores and perfect hits.
• Shout-Out: Jala's ex Irfan, and his old cat that turns into a big panther, Shah Rukh.
• Skate Heaven Is a Place on Earth: The gameplay preview shows that Jala will be able to skate board all across the town as well as in an abandoned theme park called Bearfoot Park.
• Summon Magic: Technically not magic, maybe, but you can summon important characters from both your family and your exes to attack in fights.
• Type Caste: Diya's family are mentioned to be Brahmin.
• The Un Favourite: Auntie Chandra says that Jala is somehow the third-most favorite child despite only having one sibling, explaining that they like Jala's ex-girlfriend Tyler as a daughter more than her.
• The Unfought: Even after it's revealed (unbestknown to Jala) that she was the one who set her exes against her, you only talk and discuss with Aruni, but you never fight her in any way.
• Unwinnable by Design: Both the first cook-out and battle against Paati are flat out impossible to win, no matter how much you try. That's because you have to lose, in order to become stronger enough to face them.
• Villain Protagonist: A very downplayed example. It becomes clear during gameplay that EVERYBODY has some kind of beef against Jala for leaving and coming back to town, from the mild anger from her parents (Dad being more worried than angry, Mom certainly being more angry than worried), to the absolute resentment that Tyler and Aruni have against her. Its downplayed because Jala is not a villain, does not want to do nor commits evil, and ACTUALLY wants to patch up things with both her family and her exes.
• Warrior Therapist: All the interpersonal dramas of the story are framed as an RPG battle. For plot relevant fights, turns are often punctuated by characters confronting Jala over their history and talking their way through their issues with her.
• "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: The scoring for the cooking minigame is framed as Jala earning her parent's approval for doing it well at each step of the recipe. In general she's also trying to reconcile with her parents over her actions, her mother moreso than her father.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Since the plot of the game involves Jala returning to her hometown after eloping unannounced three years prior with no contact in between, she has to confront all the family and exes she left in her wake.

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