Bringing together diverse mechanics, beautiful art direction, and a vast world to explore, Tchia is a beautiful journey through Neo-Caledonian culture
Imagine a colorful and very sunny archipelago, full of wild animals and where a girl has to fight against a tyrant and a megacorporation. Add to this an interesting supernatural ability of the protagonist, sprinkled with scenes packed with an exciting soundtrack and we could be talking about some Disney animation, right? However, this is the world of HIa fun indie game you should try.
Reading the name Awaceb, chances are you don’t know which studio I’m talking about, just as you might not know many details about New Caledonia, the region where the history of HI it was inspired.
In the developer’s case, he has only one other stock in his portfolio, the median fossil echo. As for the archipelago that influenced the creation of the game, it is a community that was annexed by France and is located in Melanesia, 1500km east of Australia.
With the city of Nouméa as its capital, New Caledonia has a population of approximately 250,000 people, of which 45% are Kanaks, one of the local indigenous peoples. The official language is French, with several Melanesian languages used by the natives, including Drehu, which can be heard throughout much of Tchia’s adventure.
Soul and the protagonist 1001 uses
HI begins her story by showing us the peaceful life of a little girl and her father. Living on a small island isolated from the big cities, the two don’t have much to worry about until one day they get an unexpected visitor. On board a helicopter-like aircraft is Pwi Dua, a grumpy boy who quarrels with Tchia’s father and kidnaps him at the behest of Meavora, the dictator of the archipelago and who is half human and half worm.
That may be the end of a tragic story, but it turns out to be just the beginning of a long and exciting journey. This is because, seeing her father being taken by the villain, the girl tries to reach them and discovers something unimaginable, an ability known as Soul Transference. It serves as the focal point of the gameplay for HIthis mechanic will allow us to control not only any animal that we find along the way, but also an infinity of objects — which, yes, sounds strange to say the least.
With this we will be able, for example, to possess a bird and fly in the sky, use the claws of a crab to break chains or dig holes when we find ourselves in the body of a wild boar. Need fire? No problem, transfer our soul to a lantern and throw it at a target. How about going down a huge mountain? One way out might be to control a tire and just roll it downhill.
Since animals and objects have specific “abilities”, having them ends up adding an interesting layer of strategy to the game, and in many situations, the player’s creativity can produce very interesting situations.
The problem, however, is that we will only be able to use Soul Transfer for a certain time, as a bar will empty when we are out of our body. The solution will be to feed us or even carry out challenges scattered around the map, as they will slightly increase this duration.
However, as much as the highlight of HI, this mechanic is just one of many that will be offered to us. Among the protagonist’s many talents is her ability to play a magical ukulele, which with the right notes can change the time of day, change the weather, or summon beings known as Mwakens – and if you’ve played the Ocarina of timeyou know what i’m talking about.
even from the franchise The Legend of Zelda the inspirations came from climbing that will consume stamina and a sail in the best style breath of the wild (but here it will be a tree leaf) or the ability to explore a vast ocean aboard a raft, which reminded me of the The Wind Awakener.
The difference is that navigating this game will be much more complex than the one originally released for the GameCube. In addition to having to hoist the sail to leave the boat at the speed we want, stopping it without dropping anchor will allow it to continue on its course. And believe me, you won’t want to swim to the nearest beach for long.
Returning to the girl’s musical instrument, it will also be present in some important passages of the story, where the game takes on a musical air and we have to press buttons at the right time. The good news for those who don’t like something like this or don’t have very sharp reflexes is that with one click we can have these scenes run automatically. This will also allow us to enjoy beautiful music better.
The title will also put us in front of several other mini-games. From racing and stacking rocks to getting a camera whose photos need developing to treasure hunting, there’s plenty to do in HI. But what makes these activities fun is that they always present us with different objects, some purely aesthetic, but others that make the adventure more peaceful.
In fact, tranquility is something that will accompany us throughout almost the entire journey of that child. Whether with the typical soundtrack of the region, or with the rare and unchallenging enemies, this is not a game for masochists. Here the goal is to enjoy the journey, immerse yourself in a world full of life and take the opportunity to explore every corner of the map.
New Caledonian culture and folklore
As I spent my time creating Awaceb and was mesmerized by the various possibilities the game offered me, one thing stuck in my mind. Games like HI it can displease some by its more childish air, fascinate others by the beautiful artistic direction or even by the freedom it gives us. However, what most attracted my attention was the confirmation of how video games can be excellent tools for cultural dissemination.
If it hadn’t been for the work of that little developer and her bet on the subject, I probably never would have known anything more about such a rich and distant culture. Something like this is invaluable, especially as it speaks of the folklore and wisdom of a people who have inhabited that isolated patch of land for thousands of years.
In an industry so accustomed to rehashing stories or even passages that are more important to us Westerners, an approach as fascinating as that of HI it comes as a breath of fresh air for anyone interested in discovering something new. It may seem exaggerated, but after playing the game, I thought how nice it could be to visit New Caledonia and have direct contact with the local culture.
Beautiful but unstable
As mentioned above, the work done by Awaceb artists reminded me of Disney productions and not just because of the storytelling. Visually, the game also reminds us of the good animations we’ve seen lately, a quality that is seen, or rather heard, even in the typical songs of the Pacific peoples.
However, if there was one point that disappointed me HI it was in the technical execution of the visual part. Even playing on PlayStation 5, it was common to notice significant drops in frame rate, especially when browsing, and since the game didn’t have the option to focus on visual quality or performance, I had to live with the problem.
It’s a shame, because the way the light reflects off the water, the rain and the lighting make everything look so beautiful. But we’re talking about a game that, despite being set in an open world, doesn’t feature realistic textures or ray-tracing. Perhaps PC performance is much better, but I can only speak for the platform I played on and was expecting a much smoother experience.
Except this negative point, which honestly perhaps only bothers the most demanding, HI it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I don’t think it will revolutionize the industry, I don’t think it will be able to convert the bloodthirsty, nor that it will be able to attract the attention of those looking for greater challenges.
For those who like a more playful experience, where exploration and fun emerge as the main features and without having to resort to a Nintendo video game for this, you will probably find here a game that will keep you hooked for many, many hours. A good example of how the goal can be much less interesting than the path we take to reach it.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
