The Palace on the Hill Blends India’s Culture, Storytelling, and Art

Summary

A slice-of-life adventure roleplaying game set in fictional 90s rural India.
A heartfelt story presented in a vibrant watercolour art style.
Developed by an India based studio Niku Games.

In The Palace on the Hill, out now on Xbox, you play as a teenager living in 90s rural India inspired village. The player character Vir, at the start of his summer vacation, finds himself farming and taking on odd jobs during his summer vacation to help support his father who has suffered farming losses.

The game plays like adventure RPG with life-sim elements. You need to explore locations, forage items, do crafting, run errands, and cooking at the local tea shop to earn money.

With a uniquely set location inspired from rural India, and having a story involving socio-economic struggles of a teenager, the developers aim to tell a tale which is all familiar to many across the world.

Apart from the setting, the game also introduces the players to various cultural elements as small details like the collectible plants, crafting, cooking recipes etc. These things add a bit of surprise and makes it enjoyable to discover all the unique collectibles in the game.

Art of the game is developed by Niku Games’ artist Mala Senwith her previous work being in the field of textile art, she brings a unique handcrafted style to the game’s backgrounds. The vibrant watercolours also give a cozy feel to the environment.

Art plays a major part of the game not just in its development, but in the game’s story as well. The player character Vir is a budding artist who aspires to study in the country’s leading art school. Despite being busy in various game features, the player also progresses the story by collecting special items called References. These items when collected, uncover a little insight about a location, a character, or a legend in the game and helps the player to make paintings. The paintings reveal themselves when all the associated references are collected.

These collectible paintings are inspired by India’s historical miniature art and are a pleasant surprise to the players.

Along the way, you also develop a friendship with Savi, a childhood friend who is now this cool city girl. Savi encourages your passion for art and helps you locate hidden locations in the game.

Together, you explore old ruins dotting the village and make paintings about the stories of a centuries old kingdom. The ruins and the locations in the game are inspired by developers’ own life and travels growing up in the country.

Composer, Srikant Krishna’s music lends an evocative feel to the ambiance of the game with soothing and serene background tracks for each area and for the day-night cycle. The music combines various Indian instruments like the Bansuri Flute, Tabla and the like to create a unique relaxing soundscape. Dive in to the beauty, culture, art and adventure of
The Palace on the Hill, out now on Xbox.