New Delhi: The Palace on the Hill is a cozy game set in rural India that released on Steam in June 2024, and is now available on the Play Store, the App Store and the Nintendo eShop for the Switch 2. The game is developed by Niku Games studio, based in Mohali, Punjab. The Palace on the Hill is the first title by the indie game studio, and features art direction by Mala Sen, programming by Mridul Kashatria with music composed by Srikant Krishna. In the game, you play as a young Indian boy, Vir, who lives in a typical Indian village.
Users have to maintain a tea stall. (Image Credit: Niku Games).
Through the course of the game, Vir has to help his father on the farm. One thing that we really liked was that you had to operate a handpump to get water for the plants. Vir also has to run and operate a tea stall. The game makes players familiar with agricultural crops as well as frequently used herbs and medicinal plants. Vir has to source utensils for cooking and serving food, and learn recipes for a number of Indian dishes, and obtain local furniture for seating people at the tea shop. Designing and operating this tea shop is a lot of fun, especially when it comes to various food preferences and demands of the villagers.
A stress-free gaming experience
This is not a game that requires a lot of skill or strategic planning, and is more of an interactive fictional experience. Vir has to deal with typical prejudices, while exploring a culturally rich environment steeped in mystery, history and magic. The game is very much a work of art, and the hero of the game, Vir, himself is an artist. You have to observe details in the environment and create paintings to progress in the game. The Palace on the Hill features a number of innovative mechanics, and is a short experience. To find out more, read our detailed review.