There’s so much to do and see in Tchia, and while it was never completely clear what I needed to do, I had a lot of fun exploring the island. The art style might not be as refined as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, yet it was another inspiration I saw threaded throughout my time with the preview. While Motunui is a fictional place, it’s assumedly set in the same area of the Pacific Ocean as Tchia is, and it gave me more of a reason to play by how gorgeous it looks. She’s a girl who loves the island, its sea and its people, and there is a sense that the sea calls to her.

I got strong Moana vibes while playing as Tchia, not just because she looks like her, but her whole outlook resembles that of the daughter of a village chief. It’s a beautiful place, made up of islands home to people with different traditions, and I became immersed in every facet of it. Inspired by New Caledonia, a small island in the Pacific Ocean, I was fascinated by the culture and lives of those living there, just as much as I was by the wildlife and scenery. Story-wise, it’s your goal to stop an evil despot named Meavora and rescue your father, but I was dropped in at a point where the story took a backseat and its focus was on exploring the archipelago. It’s still unfinished, and I did have some concerns about its direction, but there were plenty of times while playing that I got a sense of just how smart and freeing this soul-searching adventure was. Up until that point, I’d heard nothing about it, but you know when a game comes along and you just know there’s something special about it? Well, that’s what I thought about this. In August last year, I was introduced to Tchia, courtesy of a hands-off preview led by the game’s director, Phil Crifo.

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