14 DAY TRIAL // Vir doesn’t have too much money but he does have a plot of land. I’ve planted tomatoes and spinach there, two of each, and steady watering has led to a good harvest. The water-pumping mini-game is a little annoying but I really want the money I can get from the village vegetable seller.
It will allow me to get more seeds and begin the growing cycle again while giving me some extra resources to put toward my long-term goal. Father is trying to open up another plot of land for cultivation, which requires both plenty of money and a decent amount of manure.
Between my job serving refreshments in the village and the tomato sales I might have the sum I need soon. But Vir is also interested in painting and in spending time with a newly arrived girl that reveals an abandoned royal palace nearby.
The Palace on the Hill Prologue is developed and published by Niku Games, I played the Prologue on the PC using Steam. The game is a slice-of-life experience that centers on a place and time that is rarely featured in the video game space.
The title’s protagonist is Vir, a young man with aspirations of becoming an artist. Unfortunately, he lives in a rather poor rural district and needs to help his father with pressing financial concerns. The action is set in India during the ‘90s. The summer holiday has just started and our protagonist is searching for something meaningful to do with his time.
He can use seeds and rapid-clicking on the pump to farm and get money. He can roam the world, picking up resources ranging from manure to wood and medicinal planets, while doing small quests for the cast of characters.
Vir also has his snacks stall, where many of his ingredients become traditional Indian dishes that will satisfy a developing customer base. He is also the only pupil who gets to show off his paintings at the school. And there’s a 15th-century royal palace to explore with a companion, as a romance develops.
The entire experience has a relaxed vibe, despite the many problems that Vir has to face. I hope that the full game will offer more context for the situation his family is in and comment more on Indian rural life and its challenges.
I’m a little worried that the mechanics aren’t deep enough to keep players interested if the narrative fails to hook them. The game also needs to make parts of its user interface easier to understand and add more dialogue with people in the village.
The Palace on the Hill uses a muted watercolor palette and softly drawn characters to great effect in its presentation. The various harvestable resources stand out and I really like the way Vir takes re-builds the game’s world to create his paintings. The sound design is also pretty good, with tracks that stay in the background while adding to the world’s relaxed vibe.
Conclusion
The full game needs to introduce more variety to keep players interested while also finding ways to add to the immersion. I also hope that the 15th-century palace is filled with mysteries. The Palace on the Hill is familiar when it comes to mechanics but it offers a door to a setting rarely seen in video games.
A preview key was provided by the publisher
