We are immediately drawn into the story of the famous Tchia and her childhood. She is not a misbehaving child, but an intrepid adventurer who eagerly seeks out her Meavora, the world ruler who captured and imprisoned her father. This means seeking out new lands rich in lush biomes, far from her home island. Everything from red dusty plains and rusting city buildings to overgrown bamboo forests and wandering rivers. Soon Tchia learns that she was born with special powers. It is the ability to change shape into animals and objects in the familiar environment. Despite the sheer number of things Tchia can transform into, this is a mechanic implemented with expert care. Chia From adventures reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda to something new and beautiful. ChiaThe variety and fluidity of movement, experimentation and exploration make this game a true pleasure.
Chia There are no maps in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s a digital version of a paper map, still a little crumpled due to being in the bottom of your backpack. There’s a one-button feature that estimates your current location, and Tchia pulls back to take the whole country into account before circling a larger location on the map. (Quests and pinned spots are also marked with a compass that you can place on-screen, making navigation much easier if you might not have your bag with you.) Chia‘s map reinforces the game’s focus on exploration. Don’t run straight from task to task. Take some time to look around.
Image: Awaceb/Kepler Interactive
Along the way, you’ll encounter various mini-games that will test your skills. Sculpture can be carved. It’s like a game of matching and memory. Ukulele melodies can be unlocked by stacking rocks in certain places. You can race your yacht in a time trial, navigate between rocks and through narrow passages. The list goes on. You can also face an enemy army made out of scraps of fabric and survive only through the magic of the Evil Leader. It’s not a battle in the usual sense. You must use Tchia’s transformative powers and the environment to eliminate your enemies. It will probably coalesce in a nearby fire, burning the dough to dust.
I’ve spent a lot of time wandering around and trying to become different animals. A stag can sprint, a shark can bite, and a seagull can poop. Searches and subsequent experiments in all these different animals complement exploration.It felt fresh enough to keep me interested in even some things ChiaA more remote area where the island can feel a bit empty. Ironically, rocks like to transform. Listen up: rocks are one of the faster ways to move, and they take less damage from falling. Rocks don’t crack from falling too high like Tchia. I started a game where Tchia jumped from rock to rock as far as she could.Being a rock is also useful for knocking down coconuts or throwing them at enemies. Chia Brings what is sometimes a dark story.
on the premise that ChiaHumor is important for being able to do unreasonable things like transforming into a portable wrench. In a game that was too serious, the mechanics might have felt forced, but Chia There are moments when Tchia has to get a ticket and fill out a form to meet a world leader, as if she were at the DMV. She fills out a ton of paperwork before embarking on a quest for items on a faraway island. But as she was leaving, another person came in and drew a ticket – it was visitor number 1,000 and as a prize he was sent to meet the leader without the fetch quest. Such a thing cannot happen to her Tchia. As video game players, we know that. The moment I laughed.
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Image: Awaceb/Kepler Interactive
ChiaThe ‘s lightness also comes from the music, which is just as important a factor as the shapeshifting mechanics. It’s not just background noise. Music is used as a narrative tool, building connections between the characters Tchia meets on her journey. Throughout the game, characters often gather around a campfire to sing and play musical instruments in English, French, and Kanak indigenous languages such as Doleph. (Chia Inspired by the Awaceb co-founder’s hometown of New Caledonia, a small archipelago in the Pacific where these languages are spoken.Awaseb hired a New Caledonian to voice Chiacharacter. ) Tchia plays along to the tune, and the ukulele is hooked up to a controller and is perfectly playable with rhythmic mini-games. They are not played for the score. This is important. This allows players to approach these moments in ways that feel less competitive and more collaborative.
Chia It could have easily fulfilled the action-adventure mold of so many games before it. Tchia’s transformative powers come from her eyes, the other of which is green.Then it makes sense that it becomes visible to us Chiaworld, and the genre in a whole new light.
Chia will release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC on March 21st. This game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Kepler Interactive. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.
