Tchia is one of those games where I find myself loving a lot of things about it, but not always playing it. It’s a fun and exciting game in many ways. The heroine is fun, the new Soul Jump mechanics, and the cultural offerings to New Caledonia are amazing. But the problem is that it is often a bit confusing or tedious. Not to mention there are times when it’s not very good at telling you what to do.
Tchia stars a young woman who lives alone with her father on a small island. It was just the two of them, though a friend named Tre dropped by with supplies. All seems peaceful and good initially. However, it is quickly revealed why they are there, when an evil man with otherworldly henchmen arrives and kidnaps her father. Tre tells her that he has been captured by Meavora, and that she needs to go confront her. However, during her abduction, Tchia also discovered access to strange powers, powers that allow the ability to jump from a distance, and a spirit that allows her to enter creatures and objects that have perceptual and inanimate.
It’s refreshing and lovely. Even the brief encounters between people and Tchia, you can feel these moments are meaningful. The opening quietly shows her life with her father. The short time she spent with people on different islands. Her reactions to her surroundings range from cheerful to amusing to sometimes even terrifying. There’s a sense of scope and realism here. And all surrounded by this beautiful language and wonderful music. Not to mention this Soul Jump mechanic
TchiaIts main problem is that it is often not very good at being a game. It will tell you to do things, but not explain how. You need the Stamina Fruit to increase her stamina bar for things like climbing, skateboarding, and swimming, and you can find one on the island where Tchia lives with her father, but none Any recommendation or encouragement to look for it. You will be asked get pearls for a questbut were not taught how to dive or told what a Pearl looked like. Play a soul tune to change the time of day! Well, how do you get out of ukelele to do so? These are the earliest examples you’ll experience in the first 15-30 minutes, but it’s a recurring theme.
It also lacks many of the quality-of-life features we’ve come to expect from games beyond the tutorial. To understand your direction, you must treat the game like the real world, relying on maps and signposts to figure out where you are and where you should go. It could be a novel. Except it’s often not clear exactly where you should go. That creates the boring nature. Especially if completing a quest, when it doesn’t offer a big reward like New Soul Tone, can really feel a bit unsatisfying.
Even if it’s the only time Tchia i was really disappointed when many of its performance problems appeared. Since its launch and even before that, several patches have appeared. These took care of some of the more serious issues on the PS5, such as everything going black like ink after switching from the cutscene back to the game or when the loading screen ended. When I finally started fighting Meavora’s minions, burning them became more of an annoyance than a challenge. Especially if they stick to certain rocks or other environmental items.
Tchia undeniably charming, has a great Soul Jump concept and this is a lovely tribute to New Caledonia and its culture. But at the same time, you can sometimes get bored while playing. Whatever its true fault, to be fair, Awaceb seems to be trying to make real progress toward fixing or designing decisions that make things confusing, which can be frustrating. . It’s honest to be sure and I’d say it’s worth someone’s time, but it’s also a game you might want to watch for a while before making any decisions about it.
Tchia available on PS4, PS5 and PC.
