When developer Awaceb decided to make a video game set on a tropical island, they knew right away that they had to do this setting justice. Yeah, people are going to expect turquoise water and white beaches, but the tropical environment is far more diverse than many people realize. And this is something that the folks at Awaceb have first-hand experience with, as the studio’s founders grew up on the Pacific island of New Caledonia.
In order to make the world of Tchia feel genuine, the Montreal-based dev team traveled to New Caledonia to take inspiration from its lush, gorgeous scenery. This includes otherworldly red-dirt plains, stone cliffs, and coral reefs. And oh, the wildlife! The very rare cagou bird makes an appearance, as well as the strikingly gorgeous banded sea krait snake.
It’s a site to behold, both in real life and in the game, and you can experience about two minutes of it in the second episode of a development video series called “Our Journey with Tchia.”
I have to say, Tchia is really shaping up to be something special, from it’s Wind Waker-like rafting to its Super Mario Odyssey-like animal possession mechanic. I can’t wait to get my hands on the final build of this beautiful game.
Tchia is due out in the spring of 2023 for PC, PS4, and PS5. You can get more information about the game by checking out the official Tchia website.
