Tchia Review

Tchia – a wonderful open ocean adventure, takes us to explore the culture of New Caledonia.

Tchia, more than a game, is an invitation to discover a very different culture for many of us. This game focuses on open world exploration very strongly inspired by the culture of New Caledonia, and even though it might seem a bit limited at times, this game has incredible magic.

In Tchia, its open world is not the most original or unique in its class, it definitely has similarities with others, say it has a large number of mountains, many wild animals and a huge amount of vegetation. Its aesthetic makes a lot of use of these radiant colors that fill us with joy and the desire to explore everything.

I can say that this game lacks variety in its areas, maybe we can go into something darker somewhere in the game that gives us different vibes, but it doesn’t.

Going further into the game, we can say that Tchia, the titular protagonist, can slide and climb, both of which are dictated by a round stamina meter. Collecting special fruits extends this, allowing for longer hikes and flights.

I love the movement, which is quite smooth as, despite being a little girl, Tchia can jump quite high and move like most other capable video game protagonists. She can also climb tall trees and comically use them as springboards to propel herself into the air, which is quite exciting and most of all, very, very original.

At the heart of Tchia is the so-called “Soul Leap” a mechanic that allows you to jump to almost any object and animal life within the open world. Do you see that bird flying in the sky? Or what about that sea turtle in the depths of the water? Are none of those near you? Well, what about that rock? You could even take control of lanterns, a piece of wood, and other inanimate objects. Again, this is a feature that fills this game with originality.

Everything is driven by physics too. When your soul leaps towards a heavy object like a rock, you will feel clumsy and sluggish, with a stiff movement due to the shape. Compared to a coconut, where they are usually well rounded, it made moving around the environment feel smoother, especially going downhill. Other objects also feel lighter or heavier than others, so when they fall through the air or into the sea, they react differently due to their weight or type of material.

This created some pretty unique opportunities in the open world, as while traversing is in the vein of Breath of the Wild, where you’re free to go wherever you want, here it’s different and you have certain limitations of pure physics, for some this It can be a nuisance, but for me it is something that adds a lot to the game, since they are completely understandable limitations that we must take into account.

The only aspect of the soul jump that I didn’t like too much was that it was a meter away. I can understand why, as the studio probably wouldn’t want people to keep playing like a bird all the time.

Fortunately, there are a few things to counteract that wait, as you will be able to count on a glider and a sailboat, and these come to complement the soul jump and its limitations. And they are aspects of the game that motivate you to explore because it is very easy to get sidetracked from your main activities, but easier to return to them.

The combat in Tchia is different, you will use any nearby object to damage your enemies, in particular, sorry quite original, but it does not suit me at all.

This game will drive your curiosity to force you to explore the beautiful places spread across the islands. High mountain tops, beautiful sandy beaches, coral-filled oceans, and lush green jungles. The world of Tchia is full of variety, which makes it feel like an extraordinary place. There are fun collectibles and mini-games everywhere in case you want to do some side activities.

The game doesn’t have a minimap and just a vague compass that points players to their goal (I love this), as this really helps us get deeper into the game.

Tchia’s New Caledonian roots are present in almost all of its tropical corners and are a delight to witness. The characters speak French and Drehu, and virtually every aspect of the game is an invitation to learn more about their culture.

The voice dubbing in the game is great, its soundtrack is most appropriate. I can also say that on PS5 the performance is great, the loading times are quite short.

In conclusion

Tchia is an adventure full of magic, in my opinion, it lacks some of the darker settings and its combat system could be a little more complex, but this doesn’t make me dislike the system as such. The game has an extraordinary open world that invites you to explore everything and where I am sure that more than one will invest many hours of their time exploring, feeling the magic of the game and getting to know the culture of New Caledonia. Apart from this, the game has some very original gameplay and its Soul Leap is something that I just love. From what I understand that this game will be more than a success.

This review was made on PS5 thanks to a copy provided by Awaceb.