Tchia: three ups and one down from promising PS Plus day one indie

Tchia is fast approaching its PS Plus day-one launch for Extra subscribers and above! To get hyped, let's look at some highlights from the newest gameplay trailer.

The Tchia trophies should be with us in the near future and we can't wait to see what the Tchia story on PS5 will shape up like. In the meantime, however, we have a new Tchia gameplay trailer that shows off the breathtaking world of this PS Plus indie beauty. Let's have a look at some positives and one negative from the newest trailer.

Tchia lets you use the terrain to your advantage!

Slide, fly, and maybe die

Kicking off the three ups, we've got fabulous-looking sliding mechanics that enable you to take to the skies or traverse steep mountains quickly and stylishly. Using the environment to your advantage looks addictive and we know some of you will be pulling off spectacular tricks that would make an Olympic gymnast envious — no, literally, Tchia gives you access to being able to flip, dip, dive, and more whilst exploring its world.

Using the momentum of the slide, it seems you could propel yourself higher and further than you would by just running and jumping, allowing you to get more air time and cover vaster distances — if your stamina bar is high enough, at least. Though, that style comes with some perilous possibilities, the kind you might find while speeding around Grand Theft Auto. If you run out of stamina or misjudge a jump, Tchia will bounce and then start to hurtle towards the ground like a ragdoll, and honestly, that looks pretty hilarious.

We've all purposely thrown the protagonists of GTA as far as we can because of how ridiculously funny it is to see them ragdoll down a cliff, as sadistic as that might sound. It looks like Tchia is going to allow us to have some similar fun — it's just unclear whether this is detrimental to Tchia's life or not. So, yes, sliding, flying, and maybe even dying look like a lot of fun in Tchia.

Tchia and its climbing look to be a fun spectacle that explorers will enjoy utilising!

Climb everything

Those of you who love to explore every nook and cranny of a vast open world need look no further than Tchia for an experience tailored to your tastes. Tchia will allow you to climb pretty much everything it seems — yes, even bizarrely shaped trees are yours to take advantage of.

The Zelda-like mechanic of having your stamina drain may be either a blessing or a curse for many players out there, but it certainly provides an element of thought as you face down gargantuan cliff faces and wonder at how to approach navigating the world around you. Thankfully you can increase your stamina limit through magical fruit you can find littered throughout the lands, making your traversal even smoother as the game goes on.

Most importantly, we learned that the game wants us to explore its world however we see fit. There isn't just one designated route to get to our destination — we choose how to travel, what to climb, and how fast or slow it takes to make it there. That freedom to just explore is something we are very much looking forward to experiencing in Tchia.

Tchia's open world looks breathtaking and we can't wait to travel around it all!

Your path, your destiny, your adventure, and your collectables

When it comes to carving your own path in Tchia, it looks as though the devs have left no stone unturned. You're going to be able to swing on trees to throw yourself up into the air so you can fly across lakes, over cliffs, and other obstacles that may be in your way. If we pause at the 1:17 mark of the new gameplay trailer (which can be viewed below), we can see a plethora of destinations and collectables that reside in Tchia.

It seems there is a lot to discover in this stunning-looking indie title, and we can't wait to see how it all comes together when we finally get our hands on it. We have a feeling these collectables will also be a part of Tchia's trophy list — however, that is just speculation on our part. Normally seeing so many collectables would be a huge disappointment, but Tchia looks like the sort of game that will thrive with them as it will give players a reason to explore everything.

Where am I?

The one down we found whilst observing the above gameplay breakdown comes in the form of how the map works and the general navigation, which some players are likely to struggle with. The map will never show where you are — instead, Tchia gives you subtle information on her whereabouts on the map, meaning you'll have to stop and listen to her frequently to get hints about your location.

There are also signs that will place a marker at your current position to let you know where you are, but aside from these things, you are completely on your own to navigate the world. For those of us who depend on seeing where we are at all times to avoid getting lost, this could be a real challenge to get used to. Though, for many of you, this may be a feature you will enjoy a lot.

Tchia is shaping up to be a knockout for PS Plus.

What do you make of the newest gameplay deep dive for Tchia? Are you excited about this one? Will you be playing Tchia on day one on PS Plus? Think we could have a new entry for the best PlayStation indies on our hands? Let us know in the comments down below!

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Written by Sean Lawson

Sean is a Staff Writer with a focus on the geekiest Sony news. He writes stories about unobtainable PlayStation trophies, the best PS Plus games, as well as RPGs and Fighting games. He is also excited for Tekken 8, Dragon Age Dreadwolf, Baldur's Gate 3, and Dragon's Dogma 2 to launch on PS5. Sean’s favourite games include Mass Effect, Tomb Raider, Tekken, and Persona.