Bengaluru-based indie game studio Niku Games has come up with its first flagship title, The Palace on the Hill, a slice-of-life adventure game set in 90s rural India. The top-down game adventure game lets players step into the role of Vir, a farmer's son who dreams of going to college. Players can set up their gardens, cook Indian food, get a rural job, run errands and learn about their history by making art.
Niku Games is run by two developers — Mridul Kashatria who does the programming and game design and Mala Sen who directs the art and the visual design and also makes paintings, large tapestries and giant murals. Featuring classic management-adventure gameplay, the open-world RPG is a prologue which can be played on the PC using Steam. The developers have a free demo where users can explore the mechanics or look around the rustic setting. In the last year, Indian developers have tried to get creative with themes around ancient India, spirituality or even Indo-futurism; Raji by Nodding Games or Avinash Kumar’s Antariksh Sanchar are good examples.
The Palace on the Hill is Being Compared to Stardew Valley
However, most of these games are backed by fantasy themes. Titles like Unrest by Pyrodactyl Games too are also set in an ancient land, despite the quirky mechanics. Even Fishbowl, a recent homegrown game by the Indian studio imissmyfriends.studio has an urban setting.
The Palace on The Hill, however, offers a more authentic Indian sims experience with its realistic and intimate rural game mechanics. Activities like running a tea shop, operating a hand pump lend, farming on your own land or holding down a rural job or encountering quirky challenges like navigating a bull or helping a neighbour lend a unique edge to the game. Redditors have even compared the life-sim game to a desi version of Stardew Valley. The demo phase has been successful since most players have praised the intricacies and in-game elements that keep users guessing. The developers are yet to announce a release window for the game