Upcoming indie Tchia has a fully functional virtual ukulele, and I'm really impressed by how accurate its controls are.
As a new video from PlayStation reveals, Tchia developer Awaceb has gone above and beyond with its ukulele mechanics, so much so that you'll be able to accurately play any song you can think of on the virtual instrument. This is even more admirable when you find out that the ukulele segments of the upcoming game are entirely optional so could be completely missed by some players.
Similar to Ellie's guitar in The Last of Us Part 2, Tchia's ukulele will present players with a chord wheel that covers an entire musical scale. Tchia's impressive ukulele playing doesn't stop there though, not only do the character's fingers match up with the real-life chord, but players are also given the option to strum up, strum down, pick notes, bend notes, change the chord quality, and more.
If you like the idea of playing Tchia's ukulele but aren't musically inclined, you can still enjoy the peaceful instrument as the game won't punish players for strumming the wrong chord during story/gameplay segments and also has an automatic mode which means you won't have to lift a finger. There's more to be done with the ukulele though than just a few mini-games.
As explained by Tchia's game director Phil Crifo in the video, Tchia's ukulele is integrated into the game's open world and its story. Not only can Tchia Soul Jump into the instrument, but it can also be used for Soul Melodies - unlockable tunes within the game - which affect the world around the character and can come in handy in combat.
Tchia finally got its release date during the last PlayStation State of Play last month, so we can expect to dive into the tropical island of New Caledonia on March 21, 2023. The even better news is that it's also going to be added to the PlayStation Plus catalog on launch, meaning it'll be available to play for no additional fee for PS Plus subscribers.
Curious about what other hidden gems are on the horizon? Take a look at our upcoming indie games list.
