In this review we will discover Tchia, the title of the Awaceb development team and we will understand how it behaved on our PC
A natural paradise and a message of love stronger than all the limits imposed by life; here’s what we will find in the new title of the team Awaceb. It is a video game inspired by the birthplace of the two founders, the New Caledonia precisely, where the technological progress is almost completely absent and nature reigns supreme.
A real one heaven on earth which risks disappearing if it is not preserved. This is one of the messages that Bye wants to send us e in this review we will discover all the beauty of a place so far from usbut above all how this title behaved in our hands.
Discovering a magical place
Although inspired by what New Caledonia is, obviously the facts, people and places are purely an invention of the authors. Many places have been repurposed, but the beauty that has remained in real life for centuries has been expertly brought back by the developers who have managed to make the setting magical despite the cartoonish graphics of the title.
We will find ourselves sailing on a well structured ocean, visiting atolls scattered here and there like stars in the night sky. We will explore the wild nature that has remained untouched, but also some places perpetually ruined by the hand of man. One of the fundamental points will therefore be exploration which, however, will have its ups and downs during the adventure.
Moving will be really fun and we will be able to do it in many ways: indeed we will be able to use the boatwhich has a fairly high speed, run, take advantage of the catapult effect by swinging the trees once at the top, take possession of animals via Soul Leap or use the quick trip to the various docks unlocked. If moving around is fun, the missions however leave something to be desired.
We certainly could not have expected anything highly innovative from this point of view, but missions that force us to go from one part of an island to another, only to be able to talk to the same NPC at various points it can be quite demoralizing, especially in the first hours of the game.
Movement without equal, but with rather simple animations – Tchia review
The cheesy appearance of some models leaves us somewhat perplexed. We are in a natural paradise like few othersin which every glimpse of the landscape gives us more unique than rare sensations, but some rough models just don’t go down. It would have truly been a masterpiece if only we hadn’t stumbled across it some completely approximate models which clash strongly with the other well-made ones. Of course, the cartoonish style has its limits. We certainly could not expect broad fidelity.
However we would have expected the same care on all the models presentespecially those of animals. To these are added gods very approximate and mechanical movements which make the character lose the naturalness, making him look like a machine. For example, let’s talk about climbing the walls. The movements performed by Tchia are very mechanical and will even allow her to climbing walls that are impossible to climb.
Although it is an unrealistic game, we would have expected a minimum of physics from this point of view. Physics that is also missing in some minigames, but more on that later. Well calibrated, although within the limits of the video game, is instead that which concerns the launches performed by the various trees for travel as much distance as possible in a short time. This mechanic, in addition to speeding up everything, also makes moving more fun.
Very well done is also the Soul Leapwhich allows us to take possession of some animals and inanimate objects present in the game, transferring the soul and body of the child inside them. In this way we will be able to fly to reach the internal places of the islands faster, swim deeper and deeper to reach otherwise unreachable places and throw objects at our opponents.
Lots of minigames – Tchia review
One of the fundamental aspects in the game is certainly the music. Right from the start we will find ourselves playing various instruments, starting with simple dry fern leaves and ending up with the more useful ukulele. Music is not seen as a challenge, but as a simple pastime that accompanies our adventure and makes us experience special moments in the company of equally important people.
Play therefore it should not be an obligation, but just a pleasure. So much so that the developers have also included a mode that will allow us to just listen to the songwithout having to play it. This will make it easier to read the subtitles and understand the lyrics of the various songs. In our opinion, this is an excellent thought since The game is voiced in French and Drehu only, which is the official language of New Caledonia and one of its dialects; also this very right choice, in our opinion, that brings us closer to the culture of the archipelago.
By playing some chords with our ukulele we will then be able to activate various effects. These little melodies are called precisely Melodies of the Soul and allow us to change the time of the game, summon some animals or even create a bubble to breathe underwater as happens in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Melodies will not be unlocked, but they can only be obtained after completing another minigame: balancing rocks.
The latter involves stacking rocks on top of each other by rotating and moving them until they reach a certain height. However the absence of physics in this little pastime is deeply noticeable. Sometimes it will happen that the rocks will remain in perfect balance even when in reality they should just fall. Also there is no key that allows us to restart the challenge, but only the one to skip it, thus obtaining power even without the slightest effort. Acceptable choice in some cases, but we would have preferred to start over rather than skip the challenge altogether.
Nature vs man – Tchia review
As we said at the beginning of the review, Tchia is not just a game like the others. The message of love that the developers want to convey is not just an end in itself. In fact, through this title starts what is one veiled denunciation of the loss of one of the most important natural paradises still present on Earth.
In fact, the safeguarding of this paradise lies entirely in Tchia’s mission which, divided into eight chapters, represents an inclusive and modern narrative. His twelfth birthday is a moment of sadness and “rebirth” at the same time. In fact, on this day our heroine is forced to witness the kidnapping of her father by Pwi Twoan unscrupulous being who is ready to do anything to upset the archipelago together with the evil ruler Meavora.
These most of all represent the threat that nature has been forced to fight for yearswhich has destroyed more than anything else what is the ecosystem in which we live. The ambition of man without respect for others and for the environment that surrounds us is probably the worst of the disasters that can strike a place. This is precisely what our heroine will have to fight as she exploits the pain deriving from the loss of her father turning it into an opportunity for exploration, adventure, knowledge and inner growth unmatched.
It’s already atraqatr!
We have reached the end of this review regarding Tchia and it is therefore time to sum up a bit. The message of love that the developers wanted to give to this game came loud and clear to our direction. The adventure itself is a cathartic journey under the banner not only of a culture so far from us and, in some ways, even strange, but also in search of that man-nature connection that we are now losing. This is highlighted even more by the Tchia’s bond with nature; entering and controlling animals, using trees as trampolines, are just a few things that can bind us to our land, although they are symbolically represented.
The rhythms experienced on the archipelago where the story is set they have never been so distant from ours and this difference can be seen above all in the two major islands. In fact, in one the men live under the banner of what the earth can give, enriched by a day of hard work and by evenings spent in company to celebrate this particular bond. In the other instead the gray of buildings and asphalt is the mastergiving us an environment as bare as it is cold.
Despite some small problems due to a not too well cared for physics and a slow start to say the least where to complete a mission we had to meet a character in various points of the island for only two lines of dialogue, the experience of exploration is something truly sublime, thanks above all to a rather innovative movement mechanics. Too bad for the slightly short story, which surely would have deserved a little more, maybe at a slightly higher pace especially in the early stages of the game.
All in all it is about a good video game, with a strong and concrete message that many should play at least once in their life. That’s all for this review regarding Tchia. We remind you that the game is disponibile per PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 e PC at the recommended price of 29,99 € e gratis con PlayStation Plus Extra. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a discount for the PC version, you can take a look at the dedicated page Kinguin. In order not to miss future reviews regarding the gaming universe, continue to follow techgameworld.com!
Love for one’s land
Plus points
- Message
- Ber characterized environment
- Innovative movement
- Musical moments
- Dubbing
Points against
- Physics that leaves something to be desired
- Slow pace initially
- Some poorly maintained models