Tchia

We all get so bogged down by problems both big and small in our loud confusing world but Tchia reminded me that that doesn’t have to be the case. When Tchia would get out her ukulele to play along with friends, family or during village ceremonies prompting me to play along as a form of mini-game, the game would remind me that it didn’t matter if I missed a note - or even partook at all. The joy lies in listening or having a go - not in seeking perfection. What Tchia discovers on her journey wouldn’t be possible without the kindness of strangers and friends. Tchia is also a girl with a powerful gift but this is a game that shows you what happens when you use such a gift for good - and what can befall you if you only seek power. Since I finished playing, I’ve noticed that I'm focusing more on the joy and beauty in my own life. What greater gift could you ask for from a game? Thanks Tchia.

Tchia is a beautifully crafted game that celebrates tradition and culture, while offering varied gameplay and opportunity for exploration.

With minor technical adjustments to be made, Tchia is a true masterpiece in all its aspects, which together allow us a journey through the rich and still unknown culture of New Caledonia. With solid and light gameplay, captivating graphics, mesmerizing music, and a subtle and delicate narrative, it is a simply delightful game.

Few open worlds offer an experience as unique and different as Tchia, a game with a personality as overwhelming as its own world or the mechanics it proposes. Even with its flaws and technical aspects that can be improved, it is a game that deserves a chance, unless you are not into open world games.

Awaceb told us they were creating a game with "heart and soul", and Tchia really brings all of that and much more. With a touching story and versatile gameplay, it has all the tools to bring fun and joy to the players.

Tchia might very well be the most ambitious indie game we see in 2023. This open-air and open-sea adventure takes some of the best gameplay elements from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey and combines them into an adventure that’s filled with heart, humor, and compassion across a breathtaking archipelago. If you enjoy games with exceptionally designed worlds that are meant to be explored with a fine-tooth comb, I can’t see any reason why you wouldn’t love what’s on offer in Tchia.

Tchia is a gorgeous, endearing open-world adventure filled with the heart and soul of New Caledonian culture. It’s a world you’ll love being in despite the overall experience being stymied from reaching its true potential by tedious combat.

Tchia drips with joyful, explorative fun. The idea of letting players loose in an interactive sandbox is a goal that has been chased by developers since video games began. Few truly give you the freedom to frolic in a virtual playground, and though Tchia is not without its shortcomings, it’s a rare instance where the temptation to just play in the digital world is rewarding at just about every turn. The tone, the music, and Tchia’s abilities all come together to create something that is simply fun, and it all takes place in a setting that demands to be explored.

Tchia is a highly enjoyable and varied coming-of-age adventure game with a ton to see and do. The possession mechanic is a ton of fun, the sights and sounds are undeniably attractive, and it has a good dose of dark humour to top it all off.

A heartwarming open world adventure with lots of black humor and plenty of surprises.

Tchia is a great game to get you acquainted with New Caledonia, but even more to get you relaxed. Charming graphics and some really strong atmospheric moments make this world a joy to explore. The lack of strong story direction may put you off from playing it, but if you are the laid-back kind, it is an experience you surely will remember for a long time.

Sometimes you just need to relax, calm down, and breathe in the culture, and Tchia lets you do just that. It's got its issues, the technical side of things is a bit lacking, and the combat can become a bit tedious with time, but when you're just wandering, seeking out new stories, taking in all the world has to offer, everything else falls away.

Tchia could have benefited from a bit more polish, better flow, more animals and a bit more to do out in the countryside, but it's still a game anyone who enjoys the open world genre should check out.

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.

There's so much about Tchia that feels at odds with what I'm accustomed to considering "good" game design, but it's also taught me to throw a lot of those ideas out the window. Tchia is a game that's exactly what it wants to be, and that makes it something that everyone needs to play. It's refreshing, charming, earnest, honest and – most importantly – a heap of fun.

Admittedly, aspects of the story caught me off guard, with some instances of cartoonish violence (that aren't overly graphic) and Maevora serving as quite an unsettling antagonist in an otherwise charming backdrop. But there's a welcome helping of humor and touching moments in the mix that kept me invested. The standout moments of Tchia are always centered around the different people and communities you meet along the way, who each come together and share in a musical moment you can take part in with a rhythm mini game, or sit back and enjoy. Overall, Awaceb delivers a delightful, inventive adventure that I was happy to get lost in. Tchia really is wonderful in many respects.

While Tchia's story doesn't find the steadiest of footing, its world and portrayal of culture are outstanding. The gameplay is also a lot of fun, even with a decent amount of padding to keep you busy in the gorgeous open world. New Caledonia is certainly worth the visit in this digital representation.

Definitely different from other dispersive and soulless open world experiences, Tchia is a tropical adventure that pays homage to the culture and territorial beauties of New Caledonia. However, this scaled-down version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has its shortcomings, including technical stability issues and a not-so-great story longevity. In any case, Tchia remains a fun game that knows how to make players fall in love with the unique culture of the Kanak people.

Tchia has a lot of heart and charm. It's clear that the developers really wanted to honor the culture, traditions, landscapes and music of New Caledonia. Unfortunately, the exploration is repetitive after a few hours, the soul-Jumping mechanic never reaches its true potential and the combat is bland. That's unfortunately, as the game tries with love and honesty be a memorable experience.

Some persistent technical issues that prove frustrating, an uneven campaign, and a formulaic open world can bog down an otherwise wonderful exploration of culture. Nonetheless, Tchia's unique gameplay elements, euphonious music, and often vibrant world make it worth checking out.

Tchia isn't an experience for everyone, but it's perfect for those who want to take a break from the frenzy and incessant fighting. At the same time, however, the proposed features are not as captivating as we expected, and the task of keeping the playful scaffolding up is up to the leap of the soul. Between sometimes exhausting explorations and somewhat repetitive clashes, such a peculiar and colorful setting could have been better exploited and managed in a more competent way, although it manages to constitute a perfect theater to host the narrated events, which instead we appreciated more than expected.

This archipelago adventure is, in a word, lovely. While its open world can’t soul-jump out of making familiar wrong turns, we still enjoyed getting lost in it. [Issue#27, p.72]

Tchia is an extremely fresh game, bringing a perspective from a very exotic region of the world. It’s beautiful to look at and to listen to and its story is quite well executed. Its systems are a bit dated, though, and there’s not much fun to be had if you’re not into wandering the map and exploring for yourself. The greatest delight is undoubtedly the discovery of a whole new culture of New Caledonia.

Tchia certainly wanted to be a bigger, more distinctive game than it is, I have no doubt that it was created with noble motives, but in the end it unfortunately feels like a half-baked advertising game promoting New Caledonia through loving images and excellent music, but with no real sense of enrichment in it.

It has its annoying flaws, but if you're looking for a peaceful and calm game to breathe when you're overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of gaming and life, give it a shot.

One of the best post-Breath Of The Wild open world adventures, but while the game’s heavily influenced by Zelda it ultimately plumps for amiable exploration over more rugged adventure.

Tchia has an open world that is full of fun music, creative activities, cultural challenges and a good dose of (dark) humour. As fun as turning into pooping birds, tasty coconuts or explosives is, it just doesn't gloss over the stretched checklist story, poorly fleshed out characters and bugs enough to make it fun more than once.

Tchia is the living proof that it's possible to make a good game without complex plots or challenging gameplay features. The simple story of the people from New Caledonia is beautiful enough to contemplate and contrasts with our daily life, which is so busy and destructive. Tchia teaches us to stop and smell the flowers, admiring what we really need and valuing the things we take for granted.

Tchia is a classic open world, that takes great inspiration from other games. If not for its tropical environments, its beautiful artistic direction and its culture, it would have been just another déjà-vu game. Instead, it’s a real invitation to travel despite its numerous technical problems. It's hard to resist its stunning landscapes, its sweet melodies and its relaxing rhythm. A generous and exotic game that made ambitious things with little meanings.

Tchia is a nice open world experience that has enough magic to keep anyone trapped for hours. While its story doesn't have the necessary rhythm and depth, it's worth giving its wonderful world a chance.

Tchia feels really unlike any experience we've ever had with a video game. Full of heart, but occasionally lacking direction, it's a unique experience showcasing the love the dev team has for New Caledonia. Everything about Tchia evokes a wonderful tropical vibe, full of rich history and culture, from the folklore elements of the storyline to the authentic voice acting in New Caledonia's native language, Drehu. Unfortunate bugs let it down and stop players experiencing it to its fullest, but a solid, enjoyable, and ultimately beautiful game is at its core. It's evident that a lot of love has been poured into this really exciting debut from Awaceb, and as a day one PS Plus Extra release, it's bound to bring a lot of joy to a lot of players.

Story gets forgotten, but the mood is good.

Tchia has some interesting things going for it with its beautiful rendition of New Caledonia and fun traversal mechanics, but poor mission design and cookie-cutter side activities mar down those strengths by a significant margin.

During the course of Tchia’s tropical adventure, players will experience many great, carefully-implemented ideas. The open world influenced by New Caledonia remains sensitive to its cultural inspirations, the unique soul-jumping mechanic is a joy to use and explore, the boat controls and fully-functional ukulele are overkill in the best kind of way, and the story has both unexpected darkness and humor. Unfortunately, a handful of good ideas can’t save Tchia from running out of steam before the finale and crumbling beneath a wave of performance issues.