Tchia – Review, Island Life on Nintendo Switch

Tchia is an independent production that PC and PlayStation players have already had the chance to try last year. A colorful, open-world tropical adventure full of folklore content inspired by the French territory of New Caledoniaon which the small study Awaceb (founded by two locals, by the way) has poured all the love and attention possible. And in these periods of heat and rich days at the beach, returning to talk about the work is ideal to feel the magical air of the Tropics close to us, despite the thousands of kilometers that separate us.

This is because the adventure that follows the adventures of little Tchia has also landed in the middle of summer on Nintendo Switch. Who knows, maybe the developers thought that playing it on the go under the umbrella could be useful to fill the dead moments on the beach. In addition, of course, to making us immerse ourselves in the tropical landscapes of a territory little known to us, at the same time delving a bit into the culture of New Caledonia.

But how does Tchia behave on the hybrid from the Kyoto company? Has it overcome the dangers of the sea along its journey towards Nintendo Switch? Let’s lie down on the beach and follow us in this review accompanied by a bowl of fresh coconut and a thirst-quenching fruity cocktail!

A Quick Summer Recap of Tchia

We have already talked about Awaceb’s open world adventure (here is our detailed review), which is why a necessary premise is necessary: ​​the final vote of this review will depend largely on the technical and graphic aspect of the Switch version of Tchia, with the addition of a pinch of decimal offered by its gameplay quality.

To summarize as briefly as possible, it is a production that focuses mainly on the exploration of a tropical environment and the story of a little girl’s journey – Tchiaprecisely – to help his father who was kidnapped by the evil tyrant Meavora. Every kilometer traveled not only brings us closer to the goal, but represents a dive into the heart of the habits and customs of New Caledonia, between musical moments with the sound of strumming the ukulele and ancient local customs.

The only dangers that the protagonist will encounter in the adventure are represented by enemies made of cloth, who guard some areas taken over, and by the exhaustion of a stamina bar that leads to fainting. This last feature determines in summary our efficiency in exploration, undeniably paying homage to the latest Zeldian works such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom: free climbing and gliding in the air, as well as swimming underwater, are regulated by this indicator, which can be improved by ingesting special fruits scattered here and there on the islands of New Caledonia. Furthermore, the title also takes inspiration from Nintendo’s works in terms of physics and interaction with environmental elements, to a lesser extent (due to obvious differences in budget) but at least appreciable in an open world game.

However, the jewel in the crown of Tchia is undoubtedly the Soul Leapa supernatural power that allows the girl to take on the appearance of any object or animal (not all of them, at least) for a certain period of time. This is a very cute and fun gameplay dynamic, capable of increasing the freedom of approach both in terms of exploration and action.

To conclude the playful parenthesis, Tchia It is an experience similar to the latest open world Zelda games, but more contained in terms of size and game design. Something more could have been done on the exploration front, perhaps more incentives and stimuli that would have satisfied our visual curiosity. However, in its simplicity it knows how to do its job with dignity, thanks to the Soul Leap mechanic, the pleasant lightness of the journey and the love lavished by the developers on presenting the world with a culture unknown to most.

The beauty of the Tropics “wherever and whenever you want”

Here we are at the acid test by talking about the Switch version of Awaceb’s work. Tested in both modes, the overall result is generally good, although not without its flaws. Where Tchia suffers a bit more is in portability, especially with regards to the resolution. Elements that can be seen from a distance, as well as shadows, appear slightly grainy, giving that sensation of visual dirt that is annoying to the eyes of someone who pays a lot of attention to the graphic aspect (especially when observing the hills, the defect is more noticeable).

Things improve – and by a lot – if you play in docked mode; despite some small visual imperfections remaining, especially the shadows, the overall impact is decidedly positive. Of course, from this point of view there is no comparison with the other versions due to the obvious differences in hardware architecture. However, the fact of playing it in portability, combined with the fact that it is the result of work done by a very small independent studio, remains honestly enjoyable in its visual compromises.

In both configurations, Tchia travels at 30fps without any particular noticeable drops, except in some musical sequences where we find ourselves playing the instruments. An excellent job has been done on the responsiveness of commandsalways on time and absolutely essential in combat phases, especially in the frenetic situations in which we have to throw objects at enemy targets after applying Soul Jump.