Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 34
  2. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. Mar 21, 2023
    100
    Tchia is easily one of the most exciting games of the year. Its vast open world and spot-on physics-based gameplay are immediately immersive and utterly addictive. It reminds me of an approachable, family-friendly version of huge games like Skyrim and Assassin’s Creed.
  2. Mar 22, 2023
    95
    Tchia has heart, a beautiful world, and some cool gameplay concepts. The story is filled with emotion but also grounded. Exploration is easy and rewarding, with a lot of great sights to see and interesting characters to interact with. Even the ukulele mini-game associated with musical numbers works. I liked this New Caledonia-inspired universe enough that I actually wanted more of it, a few extra islands, a few chests hidden for me to discover. The developers' commitment to making it all as accessible as possible is also worth praising. Get Tchia and then spent time seeing the world and make sure to pet then take over all the animals you encounter.
  3. Mar 20, 2023
    90
    One of the best open world games to come along in ages.
  4. Mar 20, 2023
    90
    Tchia is a beautiful piece of art that is equal parts enriching and enjoyable. The heartfelt story is reinforced by a lovely tribute to the unique culture of New Caledonia. Outside of some standard open-world woes, Tchia is an endlessly charming game with an endearing protagonist at its heart.
  5. Mar 20, 2023
    90
    Tchia’s ambitious ideas and brightly textured open world come together in harmony. Despite an air of familiarity, there’s simply nothing else like Tchia, and I have no doubt it will be high on my game of the year list.
  6. Mar 20, 2023
    85
    Tchia is fun, emotional, rewarding and special. A game that shines thanks to both gameplay and art, and accessible for all audiences.
  7. Mar 20, 2023
    85
    Tchia is truly a magical experience where players uncover the world through the eyes of a protagonist who is experiencing it along with them for the first time. The culture of this region is expertly woven into the gameplay systems, so you never feel like this is a learning game. Further, the fantasy mechanics of Soul Jumping work well alongside the emotional narrative that keeps players engaged from beginning to end. You may find yourself lost along the way, but there is so much to discover in this adventure that you’ll keep pushing forward.
  8. Jul 3, 2024
    84
    Tchia is the latest, and one of my favorite, late ports to Xbox that’s arriving thanks to Game Pass. It’s a beautiful game, with an incredible soundtrack, fun gameplay, and an emotional story full of loss and love.
  9. Mar 20, 2023
    83
    Tchia is pure peace and it's the kind of game that we all really need in this era.
  10. Mar 20, 2023
    82
    Tchia’s story and characters might be slanted to younger players, but older gamers will enjoy its open-world mechanics and relaxing vibe. Thoroughly rooted in the culture, music, traditions, and geography of New Caledonia, Tchia is an appealing and respectful window into an unfamiliar slice of paradise, translated into a game that’s full of charm.
  11. Mar 28, 2023
    80
    Tchia is an open world with many scenic settings to discover and just as many activities in which to engage while interacting with the Caledonian culture. The Soul Jump is one of the best features of the game, which, however, despite a well-told story risks to slip into boredom due to an almost complete absence of combat.
  12. Mar 27, 2023
    80
    If you can no longer wait for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, know that Tchia offers a very good alternative due to its idyllic environments and the immense freedom it offers, while focusing on immersion.
  13. Mar 24, 2023
    80
    I would definitely recommend this title to anyone who is a fan of open-world adventure games and is looking for a fresh perspective. If anything, it’s a must-play just to experience the amount of love and detail the creators packed into it. There is also just so much to do that I feel it’s totally worth it for the price.
  14. Mar 23, 2023
    80
    Everything about Tchia is an obvious passion project by its developers and the feeling of love for the area of New Caledonia is carried over in a way that is felt by the player. Not only is this a beautiful game for its graphics, but for the moving and immersive story of Tchia as she learns more about her world, her abilities, and how to find her father. Tchia is a one-of-a-kind game that is meant to not only be played but truly experienced.
  15. Mar 21, 2023
    80
    The experience that Tchía proposes is very interesting and fun, a small open world full of possibilities under a story that, without blowing us away, helps us want to finish it all in one sitting. On the other hand, the love that has been put into the development of the game and the final product offered is simply wonderful, so I encourage you to at least try it. And you have it on PS Plus at the start.
  16. Mar 21, 2023
    80
    Tchia is a strong example of how such personal love and care can shine through every part of a game’s craftsmanship. Its environments, animals, clothing, dances, music, food, and folklore all convey a sense of deep cultural heritage as much as just being a fun video game to explore. Despite having a few rough edges to iron out, Tchia keeps you looking around every corner for the next thing to jump into, whether it’s a dolphin or a skateboard.
  17. Mar 20, 2023
    80
    Tchia's adventure works at its finest in its exploratory phases: running up the islands inside the body of a deer, a bird or a gecko offers widely different points of view. Being able to alternate perspectives and abilities is Tchia's strongest selling point, with Awaceb that has demonstrated undivided attention and deep love towards New Caledonia. It's a shame that exploratory and combat phases were poorly balanced during some moments of the main campaign, with the concentration of mandatory battles against Maano in a chapter in particular. We believe that this doesn't affect Tchia's high quality overall, thanks to an adventure able to warm the players' hearts with a perfect ending for its story and an unforgettable setting.
  18. Mar 20, 2023
    80
    A family adventure that exudes good humor and which will undoubtedly warm your heart, Tchia delivers a story as touching as it is effective and gratifies us with absolutely brilliant music and highly warm characters. It's also an exploration game that is teeming with beautiful little ideas, making the ride devilishly pleasant. We only regret that the open world is not attractive enough in terms of content to keep us long in its scope once the story is over.
  19. Mar 20, 2023
    80
    Tchia might be a game-long love letter, but it's a real love letter. It's a fun little exploration game, and the BotW-inspired movement mechanics make it a delight to move around the world. It shines most when it is an outpouring of love for New Caledonia's culture and environment. It's rare that I've played a game that makes me want to visit somewhere more, and it's hard to pay Tchia higher praise than that.
  20. Mar 20, 2023
    80
    Lovely and captivating even if it's a bit lacking in substance overall. But you can fly around a gorgeous open word as a bird and freely play a ukulele, so this one's a win in my book.
  21. Mar 20, 2023
    80
    Tchia pays tribute to New Caledonia with a gorgeous open-world game that takes the right notes from Breath of the Wild.
  22. Mar 20, 2023
    80
    With a ton of personality, solid mechanics, and a unique vibe helping to keep the whole experience compelling, players should absolutely check Tchia out.
  23. Apr 5, 2023
    75
    Despite these small challenges, Tchia's climbing, gliding, and soul-jumping kept me hooked all the way through the end — and even had me coming back to find a few more hidden treasure chests after the credits rolled. If you're looking for a quick adventure with a unique and detailed setting, Tchia is worth exploring.
  24. Mar 20, 2023
    75
    If you plan to pick up Tchia‘s tale, I urge you to take it slow. Let yourself wander through every beautifully-crafted island. Make friends with the inhabitants, taking part in culturally rich musical experiences. Dive for pearls in the glittering waves. And take full advantage of the protagonist’s brilliant power to inhabit other creatures. These make up for the game’s more lacking mainline quest and less polished design elements.
  25. Apr 18, 2023
    70
    Tchia feels like an educational project in a form of a gorgeous game that uses different systems and mechanics to tell its meaningful story.
  26. Edge Magazine
    Mar 24, 2023
    70
    Leaving this sun-kissed escape behind really does feel like returning from a holiday. [Issue#383, p.104]
  27. Mar 20, 2023
    70
    So yes, ultimately you're left with a game that, despite all the considerable possibilities of the likeable main character, overall plays out the same way too often. However, that doesn't mean I didn't have fun with this. The scenario is fresh and the breadth of Tchia's abilities interesting enough to get you far enough in that'll want to see it through to the end.
  28. Mar 20, 2023
    70
    Tchia provides a vibrant and enjoyable world to explore. Soul jumping into an animal or object to move about is an incredible mechanic that allows for creativity, experimentation, and improvisation. Sailing among the waves is mesmerising in colour and imagery, as is the thick jungle and wildlife that also awaits. What’s more refreshing is the open-world formula the game offers that doesn’t daunt you, only rewarding you for however much you choose to engage with it. Tchia may have the occasional bug on PC and a rocky and overly accelerated last quarter of a story, but remaining throughout is a narrative and world with heart, love, and a feeling of home. For that alone, this is a game well worth taking to the high seas for.
  29. Mar 20, 2023
    70
    Tchia is a terrific ode to New Caledonia that’s sadly hampered by a bloated and standard open-world design that tries to do too much. Still, even if the gameplay isn’t wholly original, there’s fun to be had here, with truly impressive sights and sounds that can make the archipelago a delight to explore at times. Just try to maintain some focus as you navigate the numerous distractions and you’ll experience quite the impressive trip.
  30. Jun 18, 2023
    60
    Tchia is an exotic adventure. Awaceb put a lot of effort into this game. There are lots of nice little things there, but these little things did not impress me.
  31. Mar 21, 2023
    60
    Tchia is a game that has a lot of ambition, a great amount of passion, and heaps of charm. Yet, it cannot quite live up to the ideal version of itself.
  32. Mar 20, 2023
    60
    Taken as a leisurely journey where the goal isn’t the be-all and end-all, Tchia can be a very pleasant getaway into a playground of delightful sights, sounds, and toys to play with. As a series of quests, it can feel ordinary. But as an escape to another place, it can be wondrous.
  33. Mar 21, 2023
    50
    Tchia is clearly a labour of love as Awaceb try to bring their culture to the rest of the world and show off what it has to offer. I absolutely love that tone and feel, but the way Tchia is packaged and paced means that it is ultimately feels like less than the sum of its parts.
  34. Mar 20, 2023
    35
    The most infuriating part about Tchia is that the very few enjoyable moments are incredible, letting you see exactly how great of a title this could have been if it weren't for its many lacking elements.
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  1. Mar 21, 2023
    A glorious spell of island hopping, with some surprisingly nasty moments. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  2. There's a pure, authentic, passion for game development in Tchia that I’ve not felt in a long time. What a wonderful game. [RPS Bestest Bests]
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 24
  2. Negative: 9 out of 24
  1. Mar 23, 2023
    10
    Tchia is a beautiful game to sit down and explore for hours.
    There’s a lot of room for improvement which is a good thing when the first
    Tchia is a beautiful game to sit down and explore for hours.
    There’s a lot of room for improvement which is a good thing when the first instalment into Awaceb’s small studio has already ticked many boxes that a lot of games don’t. Graphics: For its style it’s perfect, Zelda is the closest thing and I’d lean on BotW and Wind Waker the most. The sea looks incredible and you can explore it in many ways. The raft is a one man Sea of Thieves pirate ship where you can drop your anchor at anytime, adjust your sail for speed and hop off and warp into a bunch of animals to go exploring or deep sea diving. The lighting is exceptional, seeing the sun illuminate the clouds in front of it in any location of each island is a sight to behold if you can kick back and be adventurous. Music score: Award worthy. The music is both true to the games feel and if you’re like me you can get lost in it so easily. It has the perfect blend of paradise and wonder mixed with a family party vibe depending on your location and activity you’re currently doing. I’d be more amazed if you haven’t already noticed it fits well and isn’t just a cheap gimmicky soundtrack thrown together unrelated to the games atmosphere.
    Innovation ideas: While BotW has new ways for combat and play style using the slate, Tchia has the ability to transform yourself into a number of items/ objects and animals to mimic their movements or if it’s an object then you can see how good the physics are. Room for improvement on some of these but still it’s a step in the right direction. Flying around as a bird exploring the islands is the best feature, I’m not too far in to say the soul jumping will later last as long as you want but I sure hope we can and also glide without a stamina bar too. That will keep me playing for longer if so.
    Enemies & Story: I am very early stages into the game but so far the gangs of enemies are easy to take out, the main bad guy had a great introduction and better than my favourite Little Big Planet game which was 2. It grabbed my attention even though he squashed a crab which got my back up a little after the loveable one from the trailers but I’ll get my revenge later on I’m sure. Currently I’m too engrossed swinging off trees/ flying around, climbing buildings and jumping off. I’ve got to go back for my trophies which I left at my house to play the claw machine. Im loving the customisable outfits which are plenty! More to come tomorrow and especially over the weekend when I have more downtime but I’m already practicing melodies for a cool video cut I’ll post at the weekend. Review Score: I feel Tchia deserves a solid 8, anything lower than a 7 comes down to subjective reviews but anything lower than a 5 isn’t appreciating the work that has gone into this game and it isn’t a broken mess. So 6+ review scores are low but believable, 7-8 is where it’s at. I would top it to a 9 simply for the awesome soundtrack and pure passion project this has clearly been. It’s been my most wanted game for a long time and I hope the team work on a sequel to this over Sifu/ Scorn or any other that Kepler their parent company has made. Tchia is the crown, Sifu is the wearer and Scorn… won’t ruin my review. 10/10 from me for pure hope that this game receives a follow up. I’ve downloaded for free via PS+ Extra and bought it to help the developers as much as I can. Yes I’m the guy on Twitter who’s been liking each post for 2 years now and to everyone on the Awaceb team my hats off to you!
    Full Review »
  2. Mar 23, 2023
    10
    It has the most heartwarming story and charm throughout and really appreciates the culture it’s based on.
  3. Mar 23, 2023
    10
    What an incredible indie game. Think ‘Breath of the Wild’ with a lot of heart. Two hefty islands with treasures to collect and mini-games toWhat an incredible indie game. Think ‘Breath of the Wild’ with a lot of heart. Two hefty islands with treasures to collect and mini-games to complete. Really cool customization, great soundtrack, and some really cool abilities. It’s also physics-based and I love the meaning behind the game. LOVE it and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s even slightly interested. Full Review »