Totem carving is an activity in Tchia that players will first engage with during the fourth chapter. While it is not requisite that fans spend a great deal of time with totem carving over the course of the game, obtaining a solid understanding of the activity is worthwhile, as it is ulimately the way by which Tchia increases her Soul Meter. Fortunately, Tchia's totem carving mechanic is fairly easy to understand with just a bit of explanation, and that is exactly what can be found in this guide.
Tchia: Totem Carving Guide
The first time that players encounter this activity, they will be instructed to carve the totem marked in red, and they should make sure that the picture that appears in the bottom-right corner is of a totem inside a red circle. For full clarity, fans of open-world indie games can change the totem picture that is displayed by pressing L1 or R1, and that will come in handy later.
Once the correct picture is selected, players should carve their totem so that it matches the image. To do this, fans of PlayStation console exclusives can first carve the totem's seven preliminary sections in order to reveal its eyebrow, eyes, nose, nostrils, under-eye markings, and mouth. Players should then examine the photo carefully, looking for details that are marked with a red "x." These markings indicate that the particular detail is to be carved away, and fans should press circle to validate the totem when the work is done.
After completing this first totem, players will find that they are able to interact with the Totem Sculpting Stands that are scattered across Tchia's New Caledonia-inspired world. At these stands, fans can freely carve totems, and that can be quite a fun activity. However, there is a greater purpose for Sculpting Stands, and that is to create totems that can be used to open Totem Shrine Doors.
To perform this opening, Tchia players should first locate a Totem Shrine Door on the in-game map and hover their cursor over the icon to reveal the specific totem that is used to unlock it. Fans should then interact with any Totem Sculpting Stand, sift through the pictures in the bottom-right corner until they find the matching totem, and perform the carving. Once the totem has been carved and validated, players should stow it in Tchia's backpack, transport it to the associated Totem Shrine Door, and drop it on the circle on the ground in order to gain access to the Shrine's interior.
Tchia is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.
