Because nothing in this world is exaggerated in design, everything blends into the environment with ease. Unfortunately, finding every little point of interest in this game can be difficult. Those are great traversal techniques when you just don’t have a bird or a bug around. But it’s negligible considering a lot of thought and care was put into the other ways Tchia can travel, including her super-useful slide skill and her ability to slingshot herself out of trees. Tchia can climb on every surface with ease, though you’ll often come across an impossibly steep hillside that you’re able to slowly walk up rather than climb, which does point to the world not being as carefully designed as it could have been. Many times, I just couldn’t find a bird if my life depended on it. Rocks are plenty in this world if you just want to get around fast, but I was a bit disappointed with how sparse the wildlife could be in those moments when I had to travel high up over a mountain. Most of my traversal around this world was on foot and through Soul Jumping into birds and other creatures where I could. I didn’t do as much sailing as I thought I would in the game, but every time Tchia stepped foot on that boat, I could feel the same rush I got setting out in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. You actually have to move around the vessel to control the sail, steer and drop anchor.

You don’t just sit in one place and do everything. The archipelago consists of two large islands where you’ll spend the majority of your time, but there are plenty of goodies to be found at sea. Now, the best way to avoid the feeling of monotony that I found is to actually explore these islands. It was an absolute hoot the first few times I took them down, but like several elements in Tchia, it does tend to get drawn out a bit. I really had to be on my toes here, and taking possession of the various flammable objects at the camp and hurling them at my enemies provided the type of rush I didn’t think this game would provide.

The first time I stumbled across a Maano Camp was when I realized there was more to this game than the fetch quests I was doing up until that point. Yes, there is combat in Tchia, and in the beginning, it’s highly enjoyable. When in battle against Maano, the fabric soldiers mentioned earlier, she can possess gas cans and oil lamps that burn those mother truckers to ashes. As you explore the world, Soul Jumping into a bird, dog, or even a rock will help Tchia travel faster than she can on foot. With this, she can jump into any animal in the game and dozens of different objects. Our her has a few tools at her disposal, including a slingshot, a camera, and a flashlight, but the top weapon in Tchia’s arsenal is her “Soul Jumping” ability.

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