The joys of Tchia

#57: Find your happy place

March 24, 2023

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Tchia certainly makes a good first impression.

During my first thirty minutes of playtime, I spent twenty sat on a rock, watching the day/night cycle play out as I gazed out across a gorgeous ocean - the spectacular sky changing colour as the time passed. Clouds shifting and morphing from white to grey to glowing red as the sun set behind them. A piece of emergent beauty made possible by the game’s gorgeous art style, atmosphere and setting.

This week has been all about Resident Evil 4 - and rightly so - but if you opened this email expecting to see more about Capcom’s latest remake then I’m sorry. I'm sure you'll know by now that it’s supposed to be incredible, and if you really want to read more about it you can do so here, here, here and literally everywhere else.

This week I want to talk about Tchia. Partly because I really hope it doesn’t get lost amongst all the bloodshed and chainsaw-wielding villagers, but mostly because my first few hours with it have been an absolute joy.

If you're unaware, Tchia is an open-world adventure game made in and inspired by New Caledonia, a French territory in the Pacific Ocean. You play as Tchia herself, a young girl who possesses the ability to ‘soul jump’ into animals and objects in order to traverse the island and solve puzzles.

You'll spend your time exploring gorgeous tropical environments, helping the locals with various tasks and taking part in a huge variety of mini-games and distractions. Structurally it's nothing new, but the whole thing is just so damn lovely and looks so damn good - think Wind Waker with PS5 rendering - that it's impossible not to fall for it.

It helps that it’s so full of whimsy too, and so good at providing the odd chuckle. The first time you discover the soul jump technique (an ability a confused Tchia assumes ‘must be puberty’) you’re asked to possess a coconut. Which is promptly hurled at a nearby youth trying to chat up a fellow villager. Your arrival at a waiting room sees you receive a 'customer number 999' ticket, which is followed shortly after by the next customer winning a ‘1000th customer’ prize, earning an all-too-relatable eye roll from Tchia.

It's lovely stuff. And the game is full of such things.

My time with it so far has been a delight, and I'm in no rush to finish it. A slightly finicky map aside and it’s a game that offers as little resistance as you choose. I'd advise against doing so, but you can dodge pretty much any side quest, auto-play the musical mini-games and even skip entire gameplay sections if you're not enjoying them.

It’s a refreshing approach - an early hint screen giving a good indication of the game's ethos generally; “You can’t win or lose at music, just have fun!

Tchia is a testament to what a small, talented, passionate team can accomplish. It's a game that offers scale and wonder but also finds beauty in the little things. A game where you can soar through the skies as a bird, explore the oceans as a fish, or engross yourself in an authentic, fully realised culture.

It’s also a game where you can sit on a rock for twenty minutes and wait for the sun to set.

That's what makes it special.

Me. Sitting on a rock. Watching the sunset.

If you're playing Tchia (or Res 4) at the moment, please reply to this email and let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear them.

As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue.

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

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  • Windswept Kickstarter

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The campaign ends on April 20th. It looks great, and you can back it here.

  • Get Together Through Gaming

Get Together Through Gaming is a charity event starting on the 24th of March which will feature "a full weekend of gaming and guests, who’ll be streaming their favourite video games, discussing mental health and the health benefits of gaming."

It's hosted by Leeds Mind and Few and Far and will run for two days. You can see the full schedule of events here.

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…and that’s it for this week!

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Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff