Tchia: We tried a magical adventure, all physical and exploratory

Finally at Gamescom tried tchia, do you remember? It was one of the most interesting projects among the ones shown by Sony at State of Play in September 2021: good to see, good to hear, but we didn’t understand much about the game from the first trailer. Tchia seemed like a third-person adventure, as it really was, and it was also one of those standalone experiences with too much emotion and too little structure. Interesting, but only up to a point.

New Caledonia

You know how: A game should be tried to be fully understood, even better, if you have the lead designer with you ready to explain every function, it describes the vision and the reason behind every choice. That’s what happened to us with Tchia, a super promising game created by several people. nine peopleall, or almost all, come from that paradise on earth called New Caledonia. Rising from the waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean not far from Australia and Fiji, this strip of land is the inspiration for what we’ll see in the game: its world, its music, its stories.

Tchia’s name hero, a little girl kidnapped by the evil Maevora, embarking on an adventure much bigger than herself to save her father, and threatens her homeland, ready to attack as soon as they see anyone rushed into their clutches by puppet soldiers. Tchia’s characteristic is a power that allows her to seize objects, animals and people: through a combination of commands, we can have a bird to quickly climb a mountain, a torch to light a fire in enemy fields. Soldiers, who are also quite flammable as puppets, even a chair, roll and jump towards the target that catches your eye at that moment.

When we’re “inside” an inanimate object, we can roll, jump, and throw in a certain direction to perform possibly the only attack in the game, where we can define a true attack. We became chickens too, and when a button is removed – you know where – at least five eggs …

a pacifist game

But as we see, there don’t seem to be many real enemies. The direct dangers in Tchia are less than in Zelda Breath of The Wild, which the Awaceb game is clearly inspired by. It’s not just a matter of graphic style, the similarities with the Nintendo masterpiece are quite different: for example, in the use of physics and the very high interaction of the game world.

With the endurance system that prevents you from going overboard, we can climb trees and any non-slippery surface just like in the last Link; yes they can discover The seabed is surprisingly detailed, and we’ll soon be able to use a small parachute to glide downstream undisturbed. Then there are the many references appearing on the map, distant lights that spark imagination and curiosity, streams of smoke in the sky with the same effect. As a result, you want to go everywhere and at the same time.

the sound of magic

The map is divided into two Islands it is more or less a large archipelago in all respects, so a boat will be required. What Tchia gets is a kind of sailing raft, to be steered alternately between rudder and sail, in this case with a very similar system, but simplified, what is seen and played out in Valheim. Tchia also brings the voice of New Caledonia to the fore, using uniquely styled background music and different moments of the protagonist. guitar The first to strum with a system borrowed directly from the second The Last of Us.

In Tchia, these musical moments can be overcome by playing normally and properly, or by choosing the passive mode to play the melody in total peace. The game lets you play too different magical melodiescapable of creating magical effects on the surrounding environments in full Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker style… we told you the bond with Zelda would be stronger than expected!

in the original language

This Tchia is a game that does not seem the result of the work of such a small team in terms of mechanics and technical execution. It’s a sign that ideas, style and perseverance can now bridge any gap with major lineup productions. Tchia also appears full of content, many outfits, hairstyles and jewels to customize the main character, details and sails to decorate the creaking forests of our ship, all of which are unlocked just by playing. That’s what we’ve tried, but the adventures the developers promise should be of a very different scale: nocturnal mysteries and torches to light the way, dangerous climbs in the scariest storm, underwater exploration until the last breath, and much, much more.

The touch of class: will New Caledonian language making full use of valuable Italian subtitles.