For the developers, it seems that the concept of Tchia came first while the actual game elements came at a very distant second. Exploring the game’s version of New Caledonia is by far the most rewarding part of the experience and it stands out as a wonderful little open world.

While the transform mechanic is exceptional, the game fails to truly expand upon the mechanic beyond being able to shoot things at enemies, a concept that they take from bandit camps dotted around the world, all the way to a gloriously tedious trek through large enemy encampments at the end that sours the experience. The game becomes work, and I honestly just wish they poured all of their collective hearts into the exploration or found ways to incorporate conflict better than standard AAA “clear the enemy camp” tropes.

The story has the quality of an old wive’s tale which I like, though. I just found the game too simple to be drawn out to this length.