Misleading as can be but gladly so, Tchia will charm you with its soothing and whimsical vibe, only to lure you into a tale that holds quite a few revelations and a nightmarish reveal. An ingenious mix of genres and activities baked with a wonderful New Caledonia flavor but lightly seasoned with some mystical surrealism, Tchia will both surprise and leave an emotional mark even on the most hardened of players. Grab the ukulele and set sail in this open world one-of-a-kind adventure with hints of Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda.

Nomad Souls

Tchia starts in a magical, virtually dreamlike island, a true paradise on earth. It’s the twelfth birthday of our main character but for some reason, melancholy prevails. Slowly but surely, we are introduced to early mechanics such as the slingshot and become acquainted with this agile and spry little girl. After a while, things take an unexpectedly dark turn and what seemed to be a peaceful and relaxing adventure turns into a grim and occasionally controversial journey that should remain free from spoilers. You can be certain that this isn’t your average family-friendly game; Tchia is an astonishing trip that throws a few offbeat surprises along the way and fosters intense conversations with other players.

An action-adventure at heart and set within a few islands of varied sizes and themes, Tchia’s main story can be finished in little over 10 hours. However, this is a game with so much more to see and do, encouraging free roam and exhaustive exploration of all corners of the islands, easily doubling or tripling that playtime. A playground filled with possibilities, it is best enjoyed without quests as the absolute priority, as you make the most out of the game’s distinctive feature: soul-jumping.

Tchia will soon realize that she holds a strong and mysterious power allowing her to jump into any object or animal and control it for a short period. This action removes all boundaries from the traditional navigation possibilities, with land, sea, and air ripe for exploration and only limited by the stamina bar. The joy of finding new types of animals and discovering their traits, their intrinsic behavior, the way that we may have an additional action to aid us or merely for fun… countless hours will be spent soaring the skies as a bird or a locust, exploring the beautiful deep sea as a dolphin, or clucking around as a chicken.

Some quests are both clever and obscure, ultimately tying into this soul-jump ability. If you’re wondering where to find an egg for a certain mission, the answer is right in front of you, but you may be running circles around it – transfer into a chicken and use the action to lay an egg, then pick it up. Simple? Absolutely. But how many players will browse every table, every shelf in search of an egg that isn’t there? A lot, most likely.

Using animals for land traversal may be the main purpose, but not all of them are built for speed, with some of them having more… let’s say, illustrative uses. Pigs and dogs, for example, can dig holes, while cats have night vision; crabs have a strong pinch that will be required for a certain quest, and cows can do their number two in commonly large amounts. How many games can you name where you can soul-jump into a cow, spawn a pile of explosive dung, soul-jump into it, and then aim and throw it at your enemies? None whatsoever, right? Such is the uniqueness of Tchia, a game where saving your people often comes second to controlling a giant gecko with a cute flower on its head.

Possessing explosive objects is a big part of the game, as you battle the decidedly very combustible Maano, soldiers made from pieces of cloth. Rolling around and approaching a pile of fabric or said soldiers, you aim and shoot the unstable item exactly when you soul-jump out of it, hopefully hitting the target and burning it to the ground. At one point, you will be asked to burn a certain number of enemies and devices using this strategy, so make sure that you master its intricacies before getting into the meat of the battles.

Songs for the Brave and the Soulless

Shifting between serious tale of revenge and witty leisure simulator, Tchia will often place you right into the cheerful spirit of this community inspired by New Caledonia. With some truly delightful musical segments punctuating the story, you will use leaves and above all your trusty ukulele to give rhythm to the meaningful words. The emotional punch is significant, hitting you in the gut when you least expect it due to the events unfolding in the game. It’s hard not to feel some bond, some connection to the lyrics, even if a brief one, and while you may be willing to return to the exploration phase, these interludes are original, well-crafted, and poignant.

To make it even easier for the player to fully enjoy the songs, there’s an auto-mode that spares you from playing the instrument. But it’s hard not to examine the beautiful cutscenes and appreciate how Tchia slides her hand across the chords as you move between notes, another example of attention to detail that helps the game shine.

Tchia will move between islands using a small raft, controlling its speed and direction. Finding and unlocking docks will prove extremely useful, as these can be used as customization points for your raft, but also as extremely handy fast travel spots. Saving you both the trouble and time spent navigating between some locations, fast travel should be one of your priorities as you explore the outer limits of the two main islands, using the docks to quickly move to the area closest to the mission goal.

You shouldn’t stop here when unlocking the map, as there are plenty more activities to find on the islands. Points of view are these sightseeing spots usually on higher ground, and activating them with a heartfelt shout will reveal many adjacent points of interest, from collectibles to  stamina fruit, destructible statues, race, diving, and shooting range challenges, among many others. It will take several hours to complete all the optional goals, and the diversity of challenges is quite compelling.

Rock balancing is a tough one, as you rotate and place rocks in a pile until you reach a certain height. This physics-based challenge may be for the most optional, but completing it will unlock mystical Soul-Melodies that trigger various effects, such as selecting the time of day by performing a short tune in your ukulele.

There’s so much more to say about the island activities, from hidden treasure maps to cosmetics that allow you to change Tchia’s look, right down to the bracelets and necklaces, but the fact is that a lot of effort was visibly placed into making this a playground that you don’t want to exit. You can also find a bit of humor and romance during your adventure, the latter remaining under secrecy as it may be considered a crucial plot point in the game.

Factory Life

When you’re done with soul-jumping experimentation and wreaking havoc on the island, completing the quests is back on the table. From collecting items to meeting various characters, at a certain point you are told to investigate three factories. Starting by scouting the locations and taking some photos, you move from a rescue mission to a sabotage task, interspersed with a lot of fighting by the now familiar method of throwing an explosive item.

This is where I felt that Tchia lost a bit of its flair, pushing you through a series of missions that end up overstaying their welcome. Instead of keeping us on our toes and constantly moving across the islands, we are instead forced to spend a few hours inside drab factory plants, searching for the enemies or drills that are missing, and hoping to get the plot moving to another location. Part of the magic is gone… well, not gone, but on standby, as we finally culminate this episode and move on to the next area of interest.

It’s not that the fights aren’t exciting, because they can be, as you search for explosive items, frequently run and climb – there’s a good use of verticality throughout the entire game – and escape the tight grip of the pieces of fabric… there’s a bit of a thrill to be had, but it feels like it all comes too fast and too strong, when you only had a few optional battles that can easily be avoided during the remainder of the adventure.

Tchia looks wonderful, hopefully doing justice to the real-life locations that inspired it. The stunning water and the reflections, the almost blindingly beautiful sunset, and the contrast between the two isles: the mesmerizing nature in Ija Noj, and the harsh industrial reality of Madra Noj. The latter even has a small city with people and cars roaming around, but it somehow feels wasted in a story that barely makes any excuse to explore more of it.

There is little to faulter in technical terms, but the occasional frame drop did rear its ugly head in this PC version. There were also a few thankfully very rare events where Tchia decided to drop like a ragdoll when bumping into something that wasn’t bigger than her feet, but otherwise, the experience was very enjoyable and stable.

Paradise on Earth

The initial impressions on Tchia pointed to something truly special and out of the ordinary, and developer Awaceb did not disappoint. Quite the contrary, in fact – this is a wonderful calling card for both New Caledonia, incidentally where the studio also hails from, and to the work from this clearly talented group with a passion, a vision, and the ability to execute it.

Tchia is a remarkable journey with lovable characters and gross villains that deserves the attention of every fan of action-adventure games with a twist. Soul-jumping is an addition in both senses of the word, a treat that is hard to ignore and that has the ability to distract us from the main campaign. Were it not for a certain feeling of ennui that sets in during the factory missions, it would be an almost flawless game that is way more daring than what it may seem at first.

Tchia comes out absolutely recommended for anyone who is looking for a fascinating adventure with a couple of original twists, with the bonus of some truly striking tropical vistas. This is a game brimming with soul – actually, make that souls.

Score: 9/10

Pros:

• A remarkable trip into a paradisiacal island
• Fantastic and addictive soul-jumping ability
• Tons of activities to discover
• A mesmerizing soundtrack that stares deep into your soul
• The story takes a surprising but bold dark turn

Cons:

• Factory levels overstay their welcome
• A few minor technical issues

Tchia review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.