Sail the Shores of New Caledonia
Fans of cozy games have been inundated this year with some heavy-hitting titles like Little Kitty Big City, Tavern Talk, Little-Known Galaxy, and Paper Trail. So when I heard about Tchia, a cute open-world indie that very much reminds me of Disney’s Moana, I was eager to try it out.
After launching in March for PlayStation consoles and Steam, Tchia released on Nintendo Switch on June 27. Published by Kepler Interactive and developed by New Caledonian studio Awaceb, Tchia takes inspiration from the studio’s homeland.
In case you’re unfamiliar, New Caledonia is an island in the South Pacific, near Australia. It’s French territory, so the official language is French, but Drehu is the native language for many of the islanders. Tchia shows love for the New Caledonian people and their dialects, even featuring local New Caledonian residents as the voices of its characters.
It’s a love letter to New Caledonia—but is Tchia fun to play? Read on to find out.
Tchia Is Perfect for Cozy Gamers and Fans of Breath of the Wild
The story follows the eponymous Tchia, a young girl who must explore a South Pacific archipelago to search for her kidnapped father. Along the way, she meets new people, learns new skills, and discovers hidden powers within herself.
Like many modern open-world games, Tchia takes a fair bit of inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With each new area you sail to, there are barriers to climb, heights to glide off of, and different biomes and weather patterns to experience. There are also local campsites where you can sleep or eat a good meal. Like Link, Tchia is equipped with tools and special powers she must use to navigate the open archipelago.
As you might expect from a Zelda-like game, Tchia isn’t exclusively a game for adults; it appeals to people of all ages. The story features its fair share of scary moments, but, in a nice touch, you can turn on “Family Mode” in the settings to make for a more kid-friendly experience. Couple that with its animated cutscenes and engaging voice acting, and Tchia’s story is one that anyone can enjoy.
Tchia’s Gameplay Is What You Make of It
In her quest, Tchia will explore a variety of (very pretty) islands. Despite the archipelago’s impressive scale, however, there aren’t always a lot of people or things to interact with.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking there isn’t much to do in the game, because there’s a lot. You can expect a lot of the traditional open-world fare, from fetch quests to mini-games galore. Throughout the game, you’ll even collect various articles of clothing to make Tchia look as cute as you want. I especially loved seeing Tchia meet and develop relationships with people she meets on her journey to find her father.
Not everything is quite as charming. On the contrary, there are also parts of Tchia that I find slightly unhinged. For instance, Tchia can run around picking up random animals and either throw them (they don’t get hurt) or store them in her backpack. I know you can do that with fish or lizards in games like Animal Crossing, but something about storing a live dog in a backpack feels funny! Tchia can also push random people and even shoot them with her slingshot. They don’t have much of a reaction, but it can be fun to do, if out of place.
The New Caledonian Inspiration Is *Chef’s Kiss*
I’m growing a bit tired of 3D indie games, as the art style always looks “clunky” compared to bigger-budget games. That said, I found Tchia’s art style fairly impressive and had relatively few issues playing in handheld mode on the Switch.
That’s not to say the performance is perfect. I encountered the occasional bug, like when Tchia runs through an object she would normally run into. The graphics are a tad blurry here and there, but if the Nintendo Switch is your only way to play, it is in perfectly playable condition.
Shortly after Tchia released on Switch, it came to Xbox platforms, as well as Game Pass. I played for a short time on my Series S to see the comparison, and the graphics look much crisper and cleaner than on the Switch. If you have access to Game Pass, consider trying the game there first.
Complementing Tchia’s art style is an original orchestral score inspired by the game’s New Caledonian roots. It’s an absolutely beautiful, 10/10 soundtrack for me. Seriously, even if you don’t play the game, definitely check out the music if you enjoy island-inspired melodic tunes. There are also rhythm-based mini-games where you’ll play Tchia’s ukulele during musical sequences. These were some of my favorite parts of Tchia.
Advanced Settings Make Tchia a Customizable Experience
One barrier that prevents me from finishing my backlog is when I set down a game for a long time and forget what’s going on in the story when I pick it back up. What’s nice about Tchia is that if you haven’t played in a while, you can review the storyline via an in-game journal.
Another nice touch: If you’re struggling on a fetch quest, or navigating a new location, you can skip the gameplay and proceed to the next cutscene. You can skip as much or as little of the game as you’d like. So, essentially, you can just watch Tchia instead of playing it, which isn’t a bad decision if you’re just looking to experience the narrative.
Final Thoughts
If it weren’t for Tchia, I don’t think I would know much about New Caledonia. The story and the scenery are beautiful and touching, and feel somewhat Disney-esque in their style. With upwards of 10 hours of gameplay for the main story, and a good deal more should you go the completionist route, Tchia offers plenty of content for its $29.99 price tag.
Tchia is a great title for cozy game lovers and Breath of the Wild fans. The atmosphere and music give you a warm and fuzzy feeling that leaves you thinking about the game long after finishing it. It’s also fantastic to see a cozy game represent another culture and teach you about different ways of life. While I wish it offered more ways to interact with its inhabitants, Tchia is a great adventure game, and one I’m happy to recommend.
Score: 7.8/10
Tchia is available now for $29.99 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Steam. It is also currently available on Game Pass.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher.
