Tchia 1.008 patch notes for today, March 28

• PS5 now supports 60fps at 1080p.
• Resolved crashes experienced in some cutscenes on all platforms.
• Minor bug fixes and polishing on all platforms.

The major change is obviously the new 60 FPS mode, which those on PS5 will surely want to explore. On the other hand, especially for those playing on larger screens, the drop in resolution to 1080p might be too severe. But at least the choice is there!

For those on the last-gen PS4, it’s still good news to see crash and bug fixes being implemented to help make Tchia more stable. Awaceb has been relatively speedy in rolling out updates since the game’s March 21 launch.

Posting on Twitter, developer Awaceb revealed the three major changes contained within the Tchia 1.008 update.

60 FPS might be cool and all, but it won’t make you a better ukulele player. You’ll need to practice in order to master the impressive Tchia diversion. It’s so good that it might even beat The Last of Us 2’s guitar playing!

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Welcome to the world

Inspired by their homeland of New Caledonia, developer Awaceb has crafted a vibrant open world that is surprisingly large. Tchia’s story starts out on a small island, though tragic events soon force her to leave and explore nearby villages and cities.

Tchia navigates the archipelago by boat, which has a simple yet charming mechanic where players must raise and lower the sails to control speed, in addition to Soul Jumping, a less conventional method of travel that sees Tchia taking control of nearby animals and objects. She can take control of a bird to fly (and poop) high above the ground, for example, or manipulate a dolphin to speedily glide through the water.

Trouble in paradise

Soul Jumping isn’t just a great way to travel, but it’s also handy for combat. Bouncing Tchia between lanterns and explosive canisters as she catapults them into enemies — magical beings crafted from wood and fabric — can be very satisfying. Time slows down while you take aim, so it’s easy enough to keep the flow going and create fiery chaos.

When she isn’t sailing across the ocean or jumping between souls, Tchia is either hunting for the generous amount of collectibles and cosmetic unlocks, enjoying one of the many mini-games and diversions, or playing her ukulele.

Though the ukulele plays a relatively small part in the game, the amount of effort the devs have clearly put into Tchia’s musical instrument must be acknowledged. It’s on par, if not better, than Ellie’s guitar playing in The Last of Us 2. It also has magical properties, changing the time of day, causing it to start or stop raining, drawing animals towards Tchia, and more.

Hide your kids

Another element of Tchia that deserves special mention is the story. With a very evil villain who commits some unexpectedly harrowing atrocities, I was taken aback by how dark the game can be. Without going into spoilers, let’s just say that this isn’t a Disney movie and leave it at that. Thankfully, a “Family Friendly” toggle is available in the menus which I’d recommend for younger audiences.

Tchia is not only darker than expected, but it’s also quite funny. Tchia herself often reacts in a hilarious way when she doesn’t understand something or is frustrated. She might be from a secluded island where only her dad and the rare visitor offer company, but she can still deliver some sass.

All good things must come to an end

Unfortunately, Tchia’s lack of depth in combat and exploration led to my loss of interest about halfway through the 12-14 hour experience. From the beginning until the end, combat is approached in much the same way, while exploration is made monotonous by the mostly empty world. The map might be big, but there’s a hollowness that is eventually tough to ignore.

It’s good that there is an endgame state where players can keep fighting enemies and collect items to earn 100%, but I felt no urge to continue.

Not so next-gen

Performance issues make Tchia even harder to love on PS5. Though the game appears to target 30 FPS, it often drops below it, and there’s a minor stutter whose consistency quickly leads to frustration. (EDIT: Awaceb has added the ability to toggle between “Fidelity” and “Performance” modes, the latter of which targets 60 FPS.)

Tchia Review: The final verdict

During the course of Tchia’s tropical adventure, players will experience many great, carefully-implemented ideas. The open world influenced by New Caledonia remains sensitive to its cultural inspirations, the unique soul-jumping mechanic is a joy to use and explore, the boat controls and fully-functional ukulele are overkill in the best kind of way, and the story has both unexpected darkness and humor. Unfortunately, a handful of good ideas can’t save Tchia from running out of steam before the finale and crumbling beneath a wave of performance issues.

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Tchia’s ukulele takes on Ellie’s guitar

In Tchia, the titular character can play various songs to change the time of day, cause it to start or stop raining, spawn useful fruit, attract animals, and more. However, when switching from the “Soul-Melody Mode” to “Free Jam Mode,” an impressive amount of customizability is unlocked.

Switching to Free Jam Mode makes it possible to: select the chord, pick the note, pick a high note, bend notes, strum up, strum down, change accidentally, and change quality.

Once the game launches on March 21, both available to buy and as part of PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, I’m sure many players will be toying around the ukulele and trying to play familiar songs. Perhaps we’ll see renditions of Mad World, Through the Valley, and Hotel California, just as we did when The Last of Us 2 launched.

The Tchia gameplay trailer embedded above also provides a new look at many of the game’s locations, though they are only featured for a brief moment.

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What is the Tchia PS Plus release date?

Tchia will be released on March 21, 2023. The game will join PS Plus Extra and Premium on the same day, becoming just the second title to be a day one release into PlayStation Plus Extra after Stray back in July. Four other Extra and Premium games were also confirmed during the State of Play show and the rest of the month’s games will be released on March 16.

The newly-revealed Oléti Edition is named after the Drehu word for “thank you”. Players who purchase the Oléti Edition will get the Kepler Customization Pack that includes outfits, boat skins, and ukulele skins from Sifu, Scorn, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, and Cat Quest. There’s no word on whether the Kepler Customization Pack will be exclusive to the Oléti Edition or whether it will be sold as separate DLC further down the line.

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