Tchia - What We Know So Far

Announced at the 2020 Game Awards, Tchia is a tropical exploration game that was inspired by a real place: New Caledonia, an island in the Pacific Ocean. Described by indie developer Acaweb as "a lighthearted tropical Open-World adventure in a physics-driven sandbox," the game allows players to free climb, glide, dive and sail a customized boat around the beautiful archipelago that it represents. Among the interesting mechanics in the game, main character Tchia has the ability to take control of animals and objects. She also plays the ukulele.

The game is set to include diverse characters drawn from local talent, along with traditional folklore, languages and culture. Players will travel, solve puzzles and uncover secrets. It looks like it may be an interesting departure from some of the bigger games coming out for the next-generation systems, with a slower pace and a colorful palette. Here's what is known about this game so far. 

While the game has been officially announced, it doesn't currently have a release date. On Steam, the release date is listed as "TBA."

According to Acaweb's website, the company has about 14 employees, including the co-founders, Phil Crifo and Thierry Boura, who are from New Caledonia. That's more than it had when Awaceb's first game, Fossil Echo, was released in 2016. 

"We've grown quite a bit since then to match the scope of our new project, a much more ambitious title," the company's FAQ notes. It says about 40 percent of the team is from New Caledonia. 

Still, the staff looks pretty small, and there's no telling right now how long it will take them to successfully develop this bigger title. It also depends exactly how ambitious Tchia is. If you're looking to be on top of the news about a release date when it finally comes, you may want to join the mailing list. The company has also said it will announce the release date over social media when it's available.

The announcement trailer was shown early during the Game Awards broadcast and received some positive attention from the exposure. The short reveal video shows examples of the gameplay, including the jumping, diving, swimming and ukulele-playing, which can affect the weather or summon animals. It also shows the possession mechanic being used on objects, such as a coconut, as well as animals. And, it hints at the mysteries involved in the game's narrative, which may involve the main character being chased by a pirate.

The animation style is reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and it's not hard to think of other potential inspirations, such as Super Mario Odyssey.

The music also stands out. In the comments of the YouTube post, Acaweb responded to a question about the orchestration, saying, "The music is original and is composed by John Robert Matz and performed by New Caledonian artists. This specific track is sung by Pastor Waris' choir from Maré island." Maré is one of the many islands that's part of French territory New Caledonia. 

A slide at the end of the trailer indicates that Tchia is destined for PCs via Steam, and will also release on Google Stadia. A Twitter post from Awaceb confirms that both versions will be available at launch. 

People have been asking Awaceb over social media if it'll consider porting the game to consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 5 — and while it hasn't said anything specifically to address this, the company urged people to follow its Twitter account for news. "Consider following us, we have a lot more to share in the future," its response said. 

For now, you can add it to your wishlist on Steam to show your interest in the game's characters, varied environments, bright color scheme, and respectfully-rendered cultural mentions. Hopefully, Awaceb won't make fans wait too long to see more about young Tchia and her island hijinks.