I had really wanted to play Tchia when it was first released last year but for some reason, I never got around to it. Maybe it was because it came out around the tail-end of March and I had just gotten my hands on a PS5, that it probably got lost in the shuffle of my playing God of War: Ragnarok and the few PS4 games I got with the intention of upgrading.
But even more to my surprise was how CGM seemed to miss it as well—I was sure we reviewed it back then, but there seems to be no record of it on the site. Thankfully, I finally got a chance to play it for the purposes of review and I gotta say: it’s pretty captivating.
More surprisingly, CGM seemed to have missed it, too—I was sure we reviewed it back then, but there seems to be no record of it on the site. Luckily, I finally got a chance to play it for review purposes, and I have to say: it’s pretty compelling.
Naturally, I’m always interested to review the Nintendo Switch version of games because I’m always curious to see how these kinds of ambitious games will fair on Nintendo’s Little Engine That Could. Tchia fares pretty well in that regard, bolstered by unique gameplay and a genuine amount of heart that makes the whole thing feel so incredibly earnest and likeable.
Tchia begins with a heartfelt acknowledgment of Awaceb founders’ homeland of New Caledonia—a small island nation in the South Pacific—since the game itself takes place in a somewhat fictionalized version of it. The game begins with the titular Tchia and her father, Joxu, enjoying a peaceful island life until a man named Pwi Dua shows up in an airship with strange cloth creatures and kidnaps Joxu.
Attempting to save her father, Tchia briefly accesses her ability to “soul jump,” where she can possess both creatures and inanimate objects and temporarily control them. However, she is unable to save Joxu and cast into the ocean. From there, she must set off on a journey to find a collection of offerings to present to the god Meavora—who Pwi Dua is working for—in the hopes of saving her father.
It’s a simple narrative that combines New Caledonian folklore with the kind of dark yet whimsical storytelling of early Disney. There’s a playful sense of humour and a profound cultural beauty that not only forms the basis for the narrative but also the music and the way a lot of the story is told through song. But there’s also a deep sense of adventure and freedom that allows players to make their own stories as they play, further adding to the legend of Tchia herself.
” Much like the movement, there’s an interesting dynamic of freedom to the combat as you hop in and out of objects you can use to stun or distract enemies or even sneak around for better advantages.”
Gameplay is where Tchia really shines. In a lot of ways, the Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform to experience the game since it feels like a combination of quite a few The Legend of Zelda games. It got the open exploration of Breath of the Wild, the wide ocean sailing of Wind Waker, and the magical musical instrument from Ocarina of Time. However, Tchia adds a little flare of distinction by borrowing the capture mechanic from Super Mario Odyssey.
I kid of course, even though it does feel like it in some ways, but in truth, the Soul Jumping mechanic was actually inspired by stories of possession in New Caledonian folklore. It creates a really unique sense of creativity and mobility as you jump into a bird to fly up the side of a mountain, glide down to the top of a tree, fling yourself into the ocean and jump into a nearby fish to swim with incredible speed.
But it’s not just used for mobility, Soul Jumping can also be used offensively as the many Maano—strange puppet-like enemies made from cloth—need to be destroyed with combustible objects that can set them ablaze. Much like the movement, there’s an interesting dynamic of freedom to the combat as you hop in and out of objects you can use to stun or distract enemies or even sneak around for better advantages.
“On top of that, there’s a whole host of unique minigames that help Tchia unlock her latent abilities, or if players really want, they can just chill out and jam on the ukulele.”
On top of that, there’s a whole host of unique minigames that help Tchia unlock her latent abilities, or if players really want, they can just chill out and jam on the ukelele. There’s really no wrong way to play Tchia.
While Tchia is a pretty solid game, it isn’t without its issues—not to mention a few that are exclusive to the Switch. The control can be a bit wonky, making it tricky to grab onto simple things like trees or ladders. Furthermore, for a game about exploration, it really needed a better map system as Tchia lacks a basic minimap and never really pinpoints your location on your map—instead giving you a vague idea of where you are.
Also, and I think this deserves mention, it’s always a letdown to me when interesting games get ported to the Switch and make no use of its unique features. The gyroscopic aiming could’ve really made Soul Jumping a lot more convenient, the motion controls could’ve made playing the ukelele a bit more fun, and the HD Rumble could have added a unique dimensionality to the entire game, and none of it gets used.
Furthermore, an unfortunate side effect of porting games made in the Unreal engine to the Switch is going to be the downgrade of framerates and visual clarity. While it’s not always an issue, there is some noticeable frame dropping when moving around some of the more densely packed areas.
Also, compared to its PS4/PS5 and PC counterparts, Tchia just looks a bit off on the Switch—unable to fully utilize many of the shaders and environmental detailing the Unreal engine provides. While it doesn’t look bad, things can look fairly choppy at a distance, and there is a lot of noticeable texture pop in, even for simple things like the note wheel for the ukelele.
It’s a shame because, issues aside, it is a gorgeous game. Awaceb really brought this fictionalized version of New Caledonia to life with sweeping vistas full of tropical plants, a deep blue ocean, and beautiful coral reefs. All are incredibly stylized, with a bright colour palette that makes the whole thing feel a bit more cartoony and fun.
Furthermore, as I mentioned above, the soundtrack is beautiful. It balances a calm and soulful ambiance with the authentically inspired music of New Caledonia. It perfectly captures the sense of wonder and adventure in every moment and compels players to keep exploring.
Since it’s been out for a year, there’s no denying that Tchia is a great game. Despite a few technical shortcomings, it’s a solid enough game to have on the Switch and feels at home amongst the litany of games that seemed to have inspired it. Hopefully, an optimization patch will help smooth the experience out to give Switch owners a truly incredible adventure.
