Tchia

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

81%Game Brain Score

story, music

grinding, optimization

88% User Score Based on 353 reviews

Critic Score 74%Based on 40 reviews

Platforms

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About

Tchia is a single player open world action adventure game. It was developed by Awaceb and was released on March 31, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Tchia" is a single-player, open-world game set in a tropical archipelago, where you play as Tchia on a mission to rescue her father. Explore the physics-driven sandbox through climbing, gliding, swimming, and sailing, while facing Meavora's fabric soldiers in creative encounters. Tchia's soul-jumping ability lets you control any animal or object, offering unique gameplay and jam sessions on your playable ukulele, making for a poetic coming-of-age story inspired by New Caledonia. The Special Edition includes additional costume and boat customization packs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 353 reviews

story65 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Tchia is a beautiful love letter to Kanaky, featuring a compelling story and fun mechanics that encourage exploration.
The game offers a unique soul-jumping mechanic that allows players to possess animals and objects, enhancing the exploration experience.
The vibrant graphics, stunning soundtrack, and cultural representation create an immersive and heartwarming atmosphere.

The game suffers from performance issues, including crashes and stuttering, particularly during rain and in certain areas.
Some players find the story and character development lacking, with cutscenes that can feel repetitive and drawn out.
The combat mechanics are simplistic and can become tedious, with limited enemy variety and a lack of engaging challenges.

story
229 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
67%
5%
The story of *Tchia* is a heartfelt and culturally rich narrative that blends elements of indigenous mythology with modern themes, often surprising players with its darker undertones despite its colorful presentation. While some players appreciate the emotional depth and character development, others find the storytelling occasionally disjointed and hindered by repetitive fetch quests and cutscenes that interrupt gameplay. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging story and exploration mechanics, though opinions vary on its pacing and execution.
- “Tchia is more than just another Zelda-like; it's a love letter to Kanaky with a compelling story, real fun mechanics, and lots of little moments that took me by surprise and made me laugh.”
- “The story is simple and heartfelt, blending modern-day themes with folklore in interesting ways.”
- “The story is beautiful, the ties to culture and people are amazing, the music is so good; this is the only video game soundtrack I've ever purchased.”
- “The story suffers from a lack of cohesion and depth.”
- “The story is heavily themed on New Caledonian culture, has some LGBT elements, and involves child death and a pretty vile pair of villains, along with deaths of parents.”
- “But after completing the main story, I can say that Tchia is extremely shallow in every way.”
music
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beauty and cultural authenticity, particularly its incorporation of traditional Kanak melodies and instruments. While some players found the musical sequences to be a charming and immersive aspect of the experience, others criticized them for being repetitive and overly long, often interrupting gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is highlighted as a significant strength, enhancing the game's exploration and emotional depth, though some players expressed a desire for more options to replay music moments.
- “The music in the game feels very authentic and not only fits the theming but it really adds to the adventure, like when you're out on the boat sailing and the music picks up.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing, and pairs well with the art and culture of the game.”
- “The music is incredibly chill and immersive to the environment.”
- “The music sections are miserable.”
- “Repetitive songs and it's miserable trying to follow subtitles and play the minigame.”
- “The music sequences often felt too long, and the instrument-playing minigames were uninteresting.”
gameplay
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The gameplay in Tchia is characterized by its exploration-focused mechanics, allowing players to possess animals and objects, which adds a unique twist to traversal and puzzle-solving. While some players appreciate the fluid movement and charming mechanics, others find the gameplay simplistic and secondary to the story, with a mix of fun and frustration stemming from its design choices. Overall, the game offers a relaxing experience with a vibrant world, though it may not satisfy those seeking a more challenging or complex gameplay experience.
- “Tchia is more than just another Zelda-like; it's a love letter to Kanaky with a compelling story, real fun mechanics, and lots of little moments that took me by surprise and made me laugh.”
- “The gameplay is simple yet extremely fun, and the exploration of the warm, bright lands is engaging and feels like a real adventure.”
- “The creative gameplay mechanics, like soul-jumping, and the seamless interaction with nature added so much depth to the experience.”
- “It's restrictive; the gameplay is secondary to the story and themes. The roleplaying is one-dimensional, and you are supposed to be the person in the story, not your own character.”
- “I really hoped Tchia would be fun, because it’s such a great game on paper, but some poor gameplay design decisions made this game extremely frustrating and dull to play from nearly the first hour onwards.”
- “I wish I had more fun playing this game because there are a lot of things it absolutely nails that I hope to see other games take note of, but sadly the gameplay and traversal in Tchia was painfully tedious for me the entire way through, so I can’t recommend playing it.”
graphics
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
35%
8%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, charming art style, and vibrant colors that effectively convey the tropical atmosphere. However, some players noted performance issues, graphical bugs, and a lack of polish in certain areas, leading to a perception of inconsistency in quality. Overall, while the graphics are often described as beautiful and immersive, there are concerns about optimization and execution that detract from the experience for some players.
- “The graphics are colorful, cartoon-like, conveying the atmosphere of the tropics: azure waters, dense jungles, sun-drenched beaches.”
- “Tchia nails the vibe — the world looks great, the art style is charming, and there's a real sense of warmth to the whole thing.”
- “The visuals are stunning, the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, and the story kept me invested all the way through.”
- “Finally, I just have no love for the art style of this game. I'm sure someone would love it if you like that kind of janky Pixar style with almond eyes, but for me, it just hits a strange tone.”
- “The game is disappointing; the graphics are trash, and the music is so bad.”
- “The normal price for Tchia is $35, yet the game feels so unpolished. I had this feeling for every aspect: design, graphics, animations, sound design, voices, UI, scenario; all of this feels so amateur. I don't understand why the price tag is so high; I was expecting something way more polished.”
emotional
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its touching and heartfelt narrative, which blends modern themes with folklore, often evoking strong feelings and even tears from players. Reviewers highlight the game's beautiful visuals and music, alongside its ability to balance wholesome moments with darker, more poignant themes, creating a memorable and impactful experience. Overall, it is described as a cozy, charming adventure that deeply resonates with players, making it a standout in emotional storytelling within the gaming landscape.
- “The story is simple and heartfelt, blending modern-day themes with folklore in interesting ways.”
- “You can tell a lot of heart went into this game—the world feels warm and thoughtful, and the story has a few emotional moments that stick with you.”
- “It's deeply moving, both through very dark storytelling at some points and powerfully heartwarming in others.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game, with some finding the numerous minigames and cutscenes tedious, while others appreciate the fast progression and variety of travel options. Although exploration can feel repetitive at times, particularly due to the inefficiency of certain traversal methods, many enjoy the overall experience, especially the relaxing sailing segments. Ultimately, while the game offers engaging content, some players feel that certain elements contribute to a tedious gameplay experience.
- “I do generally enjoy 'collect-a-thons,' and I’ve 100%ed some much longer and larger than Tchia, but exploration in this game is downright tedious due to the fact that the only remotely efficient means of getting around disappears every time you exit it and you have to wait to summon it again.”
- “I wish I had more fun playing this game, because there are a lot of things it absolutely nails that I hope to see other games take note of, but sadly the gameplay and traversal in Tchia was painfully tedious for me the entire way through, so I can’t recommend playing it.”
- “The game had a lot of potential but it's just too tedious.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
37%
36%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including stuttering and crashes, particularly on certain hardware configurations. While a few users noted that the game runs smoothly and bug-free, the overall sentiment leans towards it being poorly optimized, especially during specific conditions like rain. Despite its charming elements, many feel that the game's performance detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game is very polished - the only bugs I noticed were some small performance issues; but I think that's largely because I was running it on Linux.”
- “The optimization is good, the game works bug-free.”
- “The gameplay is pretty basic (though mechanically decent) and the world isn't huge, but everything else is great - art, vocals, music, performance, story.”
- “Terrible performance, I've never seen a game stutter so much in my life plus crashes don't help.”
- “In short, Tchia has a good heart, but it’s buried under too much filler and poor optimization.”
- “I haven’t experienced anything anywhere close to this bad playing any other game, so I believe Tchia is rather poorly optimized.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Tchia is a delightful blend of playful and dark elements, often catching players off guard with its surprising moments of levity amidst a bittersweet narrative. While the game features a child-friendly aesthetic, it doesn't shy away from crass or violent humor, creating a unique tone that balances fun and poignancy. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to evoke laughter while also exploring deeper themes, making it a memorable experience.
- “Tchia is more than just another Zelda-like; it's a love letter to Kanaky with a compelling story, real fun mechanics, and lots of little moments that took me by surprise and made me laugh.”
- “The cultural inspiration from the real island in Oceania called New Caledonia is intriguing and endearingly portrayed, and it has a great sense of humor throughout.”
- “The story is bittersweet, heartwarming, and surprisingly hilarious at times, and the game isn't afraid to be violent, gory, or crass if the situation calls for it, pulling no punches and always sticking the landing with its tone.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful, colorful graphics and rich cultural elements, creating a meditative and immersive experience. Players appreciate the open-world design that encourages exploration and relaxation, with engaging music and mini-games enhancing the overall ambiance. However, some note that the world can feel empty at times, potentially detracting from the experience.
- “Beautiful environments and a rich, culture-filled atmosphere.”
- “This is a meditative, atmospheric adventure that allows you to enjoy the open world, learn more about an unfamiliar culture, and just relax.”
- “The graphics are colorful and cartoon-like, conveying the atmosphere of the tropics: azure waters, dense jungles, and sun-drenched beaches.”
- “The game lacks a cohesive atmosphere, making it feel disjointed and unengaging.”
- “Despite the vibrant visuals, the overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, failing to immerse players in the world.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits notable stability issues, including frequent glitches, crashes, and map and camera problems that may require restarts. While some players find the experience reasonably enjoyable despite these bugs, others report significant frustration due to the game's instability and performance drops, particularly with features like DLSS.
- “It's not without glitches and crashes--I think my favorite was when I soul-jumped/exploded myself into the watery void beneath an island--but having experienced some of the clipping, I'm not frustrated by it.”
- “Reasonably fun to play, but be warned that the game is very buggy at times and does have semi-missable achievements.”
- “It was also fairly buggy and I had to restart often to fix map and camera problems.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Players find the game offers a solid level of replayability, primarily due to the presence of collectibles and various features that encourage multiple playthroughs. Many reviewers note that the game is nearly infinitely replayable, enhancing its long-term appeal.
- “A good amount of replayability through collectibles and other features.”
- “Infinitely replayable (or almost).”