Breath of the Wild did an ideal job of placing a singular spin on open worlds with its climbing and gliding mechanics. Tchia is partially constructed out of those and, sure, you spend a good quantity of timing growing your stamina little by little till you’re capable of climb and glide wherever you need with out subject. However Breath of the Wild was so giant that it was simple to bounce off of after dozens of hours. It is a way more compact recreation and it has a killer hook of a brand new mechanic that actually separates it from its inspiration.
Tchia is a beautiful, enjoyable recreation. You discover a colourful pure space whereas grabbing trinkets, so I wasn’t anticipating a lot of a heavy narrative. Tchia is a younger woman who lives together with her father. When the 2 meet up with one among his outdated pals, the right-hand man of an evil god that eats youngsters abducts her father and it’s as much as her to avoid wasting him. You learn that proper. The dangerous man is a fascist god that actually eats youngsters. This occurs onscreen in a very disturbing cutscene, even when it’s not practically as horrifying because it appears at first.
The story itself is kind of good, even when it’s largely an excessively acquainted story. I can’t go into why that’s with out critical spoilers, however you’ll see if you find yourself grabbing the sport. The solid of characters is decently realized and the dialogue retains issues transferring. However the presentation is the true winner right here. Regardless of being developed by a small crew, Tchia is definitely the best-looking 3D open-world indie recreation I’ve ever seen. The sport is commonly downright beautiful and the lengthy draw distance solely helps with presenting its magnificence.
Screenshot by PC Invasion
I’m like a chicken
Tchia‘s major story is extraordinarily quick. You’ve received an intro, you then exit and get your first quest, which is to journey from the Southern island to the Northern one and seize some objects. Then there are some story sequences on a smaller island adopted by an espionage mission the place you go and take photographs of factories earlier than you sabotage them after which sabotage a bigger manufacturing unit. Then there’s a last quest and the story is over. For those who simply needed to beat the sport, you can simply do it in just a few hours. Nevertheless, that is completely not the kind of recreation you’ll play simply to beat.
Normal open-world guidelines are at play right here. There are spots across the map that you simply’ll work together with to make icons present up. These embrace collectibles which might be used to buy cosmetics, beauty chests, enemy camps, actions, and upgrades to your varied meters. Tchia may be very a lot about exploring and taking within the sights, however the recreation’s soul means makes for a reasonably compelling hook. Tchia can possess any non-human animal she comes throughout, in addition to many objects. Objects might be aimed and hurled at enemies as Tchia herself comes leaping out of them earlier than they get slung ahead.
Enemy encounters are uncommon, however the foes are all material. You’ll have to throw explosive objects at them, or you possibly can possess a log in a hearth and roll into them. Animals you possibly can possess embrace birds, canine, bugs, crabs, deer, and varied marine animals. It’s a pleasure to own animals and get across the map extra simply. At first, Tchia can solely possess issues for a brief period of time, however this will increase tremendously as you full challenges. It truly is one thing to see how the sport opens as much as you as you go. Challenges require you to carve totems to start them and the challenges themselves are various and fascinating. Apart from the one the place you play tic-tac-toe.
Screenshot by PC Invasion
Ukulele of the whole lot
Taking one other web page from a separate Zelda playbook, Tchia has a ukulele she carries round. You’ll be able to convey it out at practically any time to play a full suite of chords. If something about music, you possibly can play any variety of precise songs with it, which is fairly incredible, plus there are segments the place Tchia performs her ukulele alongside different characters as a part of a well-done minigame. However that’s not all of the ukulele is for. There are particular little songs you possibly can play that have an affect on the world round you, identical to in Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker. You’ll study extra of those by balancing rocks atop each other as a part of one other minigame.
These songs do quite a lot of issues, akin to change the time of day, spawn an explosive merchandise or bounce pad, and so they may even be used to summon animals to own. Whereas Tchia initially must stroll everybody on foot or get there by gliding once you don’t come throughout an animal to own, you’ll possible spend a lot of the recreation summoning birds with the ukulele after which flying round. It truthfully appears to be like and feels great and it’s some of the pleasing elements of the sport.
You’ll be able to solely naturally refill a certain quantity of your spirit gauge (normally as much as half) as soon as it depletes, however you possibly can fully refill it by consuming meals at stands or by consuming at campfires, that are everywhere in the map. I discussed the cosmetics earlier and there are a completely monumental variety of these to select from, starting from garments, hairstyles, and even ukulele skins. The sport isn’t meant to final an enormous period of time, however I put in a few dozen hours earlier than I noticed the credit. I grabbed as many stamina and soul meter upgrades as I might discover, however there have been nonetheless plenty of trinkets and challenges wherein to partake.
Screenshot by PC Invasion
Give me a motive to like you
My major gripe with the sport is that it simply isn’t all that substantive, pleasing as it could be. There are such a lot of cosmetics that it may be arduous to care about grabbing woven trinkets or diving for pearls to purchase extra. The reward for doing the quite a few actions (akin to capturing ranges or racing challenges) can also be fairly pointless. You will get a trophy starting from bronze to gold, however you possibly can farm them from any problem and so they’re solely used to attempt to win extra cosmetics from a crane recreation. You even have so as to add every of them to your stock individually, so you possibly can’t stockpile them like trinkets and pearls, which is unlucky.
I tremendously loved my time with Tchia, though the story may be very quick and it finally ends up falling into plenty of typical open world traps. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a beautiful recreation with a lot to gawk at in case you’re into working around the globe as animals or amassing issues. I want there was extra of an incentive to buckle down and full the elective stuff, however the recreation can simply final a dozen hours or extra regardless. Let’s be actual, although – flying round as a chicken is properly well worth the value of entry alone.
