Much to my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed this to begin with. Tchia is essentially a 3D platforming collect-a-thon, but without the platforming... so I guess that just makes it a collect-a-thon. And boy does it not fuck around in this regard. New Caledonia makes Banjo-Kazooie look like a barren wasteland by comparison. And you know what, that's okay. Because Tchia is breezy and chill, and possessing the soul of some poor innocent bird to traverse the picturesque world in search of more shiny trinkets to grab is strangely satisfying. Some of the mini-games are fun too. Taking on time trials as different animals is a particular highlight, with the various fauna feeling decently tight and intuitive. (The rhythm mini-games are absolute shit, but hey, you can just put them on automatic and go put the kettle on.)

Yep, Tchia's open world is a charming haven of carefree exploration and relaxing atmosphere... for the first half or so anyway.

And then sure enough tedium sets in, and it all starts to get a bit rote. The same tasks are regurgitated over and over. And then the game commits of the fatal error of placing more emphasis on its turgid 'combat'. There are some missions later on down the line where you have to infiltrate enemy bases and take down paper monsters and sentinels and piles of fabric and it is TEDIOUS AS FUCK! I don't mind tackling the smaller camps where you can get them over with in a matter of seconds, but when the game asks me to clear out literal factories that have 30+ paper monsters wandering around using the same gas lamp maneuver over and over again, I start to question my sanity. The story never really seems to find its footing either and the cutscenes, from the animation to the general direction, tend to feel half-hearted, as if the devs know they don't have the time and budget to fully commit to what they want.

I was kinda hoping that Tchia would prove to be this year's Stray - an indie game given away for 'free' on Sony's gaming subscription service that would quickly go on to generate word-of-mouth buzz and become a darling amongst the gaming community. Unfortunately, it is most definitely not in the same league as the cyberpunk kitty odyssey.

Also, can someone tell these indie developers that heterosexual women are still a thing. I'm not against gay representation in video games, but I can't remember the last time I played as a female protagonist in a video game that was actually straight. Do they not exist in real life anymore?