Category: Video Games

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.

PotH - field

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.


The Palace on the Hill
Xbox Live

The Palace on the Hill

Niku Games Studio

☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★

$19.99
Get it now
Xbox One X Enhanced

A heartfelt story of ambition, struggle, and friendship told from the perspective of a young boy in fictional 90s rural India. This slice-of-life adventure role-playing game offers a multi-faceted experience of India’s culture, art, history, and stories.

“This is a nice, calming SOL that feels very healing. It’s a great option if you’re looking for something cozy to play. Peak iyashikei vibes as it were.”
starshinesMonet

“A love letter to Indian art, history and stories”
Video Games are Good

“An ‘at your leisure’ pace game with beautiful visual art style: compelling characters and great intro to story.”
jadeyr101

The post The Palace on the Hill Blends India’s Culture, Storytelling, and Art appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble 1.10 Patch Fixes Sonic’s Ball Among Other Updates

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble update version 1.10 patch notes are here and come with a bundle of new content additions and fixes.

The Super Monkey Ball X/Twitter account shared the changes coming to the arcade platformer, detailing a host of tweaks that help keep the game’s post-launch support rolling. Most notably, there’s a new Race stage called Sky Highway as well as a few stability improvements across the experience. The Sega game also brings some love to Sonic, who has been given a stat boost “to better showcase his unique character traits.” The character’s ball now shows the correct blue color, too.

A few small adjustments have also been made to the terrain across the Race stages in Battle as well as the Acrobatics stage in Adventure. Players should also notice some control adjustments that should make moving your monkeys around a bit easier.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble launched June 25 for Nintendo Switch and brings customization options, new courses, and more to Sega’s ball-rolling franchise. Sonic is one of a few Sonic cameo characters players can enjoy as DLC, with others, like Tails, Knuckles, and, Amy, set rollout in the future. Other Sega faces, like Jet Set Radio’s Beat and Crazy Taxi’s Axel, are also on the way. They can be purchased individually or together as a bundle as part of the Sega Bundle.

We peeled back the layers on Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble and found a lot to love. In our 8/10 review, we said, “Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a brilliant return to form with the best stages and controls the series has seen in over 20 years.”

Update Version 1.10 Patch Notes:

  • Sonic’s ball now displays with the correct color
  • Adjusted Sonic’s stats (increased his total stat value) to better showcase his unique character traits
  • Made minor adjustments to the terrain for the Acrobatics stage in Adventure
  • Added new Race stage, Sky Highway, to Battle
  • Made minor adjustments to the terrain in the Race stages in Battle
  • In Online Play, when matching with random players in Battle and Adventure, there is newly added functionality to remove players from the match who exhibit unusual behavior
  • Increased the accuracy of the camera reset function
  • Improved hit detection for the Bat item in Battle
  • Added support for additional content
  • Improved game stability
  • Improved the display/visuals of various in-game screens and fixed other minor bugs

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer at IGN.

College Football 25’s ‘Lorem Ipsum’ Error Is Puzzling Fans

College Football 25’s Early Access period has been out for less than 24 hours, and we are already seeing high player turnout, server errors, and a puzzling error code confusing some players.

Several users on X/Twitter pointed out that when they tried to play Dynasty Mode, they were met with an error that provided two Dynasty Type options, both of which read Lorem Ipsum and an image of a cloud slashed through.

Those experiencing this error are unable to access Dynasty Mode. This fan-favorite game mode allows players to become head coaches or offensive/defensive coordinators and coach a football program. Dynasty returns to EA’s college football series alongside Road to Glory.

From the looks of it, “Lorem Ipsum” is basic placeholder text that was never replaced. EA Sports has not officially commented on why this error is present in College Football 25.

Regardless, the error code has made playing Dynasty mode impossible for some players. However, X/Twitter user @Tall6uy posted that one effective troubleshooting method would be for players to disconnect from the internet and start Dynasty mode offline, though as user @_BrooklynBear points out, they attempted to play Dynasty mode offline and received the same placeholder icons.

College Football 25 is out right now for those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition or the MVP Bundle. Those who purchased the Standard Edition have to wait until Friday, July 19, to play the game.

If you are one of the people waiting until Friday to play, check out which of the best offensive and defensive teams are available in the game and take a deep dive into Dynasty mode. For our initial thoughts on College Football 25 ahead of our review, check out our hands-on preview.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game Is on Sale for Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day is happening now, which means you can save a bunch on all sorts of things. One category of said things is board games. And one of the better Prime Day board game deals available right now is on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game, a game that captures the essence of Bethesda’s massive open-world RPG, but whittles it down to tabletop form. It’s just one of the many versions of Skyrim you can play in 2024.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game for $84.99

And while $78.99 might not seem like a cheap investment, it’s quite a bit less than the $140 MSRP the game maker typically charges.

At its core, Skyrim – The Adventure Game faithfully recreates the vast and richly detailed world of Tamriel, inviting players to take on epic quests, explore dungeons, and encounter iconic creatures from the Elder Scrolls universe. Whether you’re a seasoned Dragonborn or a newcomer to the realm, the game’s thematic fidelity makes sure you’ll tap in to a sense of fantasy adventure.

One of the standout features is the narrative depth. Much like its video game counterpart, Skyrim – The Adventure Game places a strong emphasis on storytelling and player choice. Players can forge their own path through the land of Skyrim, encountering diverse characters and making decisions that impact the outcome of their quests. This narrative flexibility not only adds replayability but also allows players to immerse themselves fully in the game’s lore.

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what Charlie Theel, our critic, had to say about it in his review:

Maybe not a full-throated endorsement, but it certainly ought to please fans of the video game. For more board games based on video games currently on sale, check out all of our Prime Day deals coverage.

Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Threads.

Review: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition (Switch) – Returns For Another Pass With A Top-Flight Port

In the Summer skies, flying high!

Did you know the F-16 first took flight 50 years ago a few months back? It is currently enjoying its Block 70 revision in case you were fearing that air forces around the world are still flying half-century-old technology. Meanwhile, Ace Combat is turning 30 next year and, much like an airplane block revision, it evolves with every new entry. Sadly Nintendo owners might have missed this evolution entirely, with only a Game Boy Advance entry and two slightly different 3DS versions of an Ace Combat 2 remake successfully navigating to Nintendo skies. Sadly, the 3DS game carries in the West the title of Assault Horizon Legacy (+), which ended up confusing potential young nuggets to take the plunge since the home console Assault Horizon remains the most devise entry in the series, with developer Project Aces attempting to inject some Call of Duty-ism into the formula with disastrous results.

The pressure was on. The Xbox 360-exclusive Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation had raised the bar for the series (which was already extremely high after the PlayStation 2 trilogy), so Project Aces needed to ensure that the next numbered game in the series was their shiniest, slickest F-16 equivalent yet. In January 2019, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown launched on previous-generation consoles and soon after on PC to warm reviews. Five years later, this very same Unreal Engine-powered opus now lands on Nintendo Switch, which is something none of us at Nintendo Life ever expected to write. Surely, there has to be a catch… right?

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Lara Croft Comes To Dead by Daylight in One Of Her Darkest Adventures Yet

Lara Croft Comes To Dead by Daylight in One Of Her Darkest Adventures Yet

  • Mitch Findlay, Senior Copywriter, Behaviour Interactive

Today, Dead by Daylight: Tomb Raider brings Lara Croft into The Fog, plunging the iconic heroine into one of her darkest adventures yet.

Trapped in a nightmarish reality where not even death is an escape, Lara must use every tool at her disposal to survive against a sprawling roster of merciless Killers. Luckily, she’s uniquely positioned to thrive against unfavorable odds, boasting impeccable athleticism, resolute courage, and the willingness to help those in need.

Survive As Lara Croft

The quintessential survivor, Lara arrives with three unique character Perks, each one inspired by her personality and legacy.

The first is Finesse, a Perk that grants a notable advantage while in a chase – at least, until you get hit. Whenever you’re healthy, your fast vaults will be slightly faster. After doing one, and hopefully gaining valuable ground on the Killer, the Perk will have a brief cooldown.

Not even The Fog can dull Lara’s curiosity, nor her willingness to uncover crucial items. Hardened incentivizes engaging with Chests and Totems, granting you a valuable benefit when you open the former and cleanse or bless the latter. From that point on, every time you scream – whether through a Killer’s Perk or in-game action – you will instead see their Aura.

Specialist also encourages seeking out Chests, rewarding a Token (up to a max of 3) for opening or rummaging through one. Those Tokens are consumed with every Great Skill Check, instantly reducing a Generator’s max repair progress.

Releasing alongside Dead by Daylight: Tomb Raider is Tome 20: Mythic, which includes the ominous Wraithskin Outfit for Lara Croft. Designed to instill fear in those who prey upon the weak, purchase the Rift Pass and work your way through the Premium Track to embody the wilderness itself.

Experience The New 2V8 Mode

As it turns out, Lara’s arrival to The Fog is just in time for the brand-new 2V8 game mode. Set to run from July 25 11 AM ET until August 8 11 AM ET, 2v8 will pit 8 Survivors against 2 Killers in a high-stakes, action-packed experience. With unique character abilities and a reimagined Hook system, this is Dead by Daylight like you’ve never seen it before. 
Adventure into the unknown with Lara Croft in Dead by Daylight: Tomb Raider, available today on Xbox.

The post Lara Croft Comes To Dead by Daylight in One Of Her Darkest Adventures Yet appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Champions and challengers: What to expect at Evo 2024

The Evolution Championship Series (Evo) returns to Las Vegas this weekend, from July 19 to 21. Every summer as the temperature rises, so does the competition. Fans and competitors from the fighting game community head to Las Vegas to celebrate the games that bring us together. Champions will return to defend their titles while new blood tries to make their mark on Evo history. 


Champions and challengers: What to expect at Evo 2024

For the second year, Evo 2024 broke the world registration record for an in-person esports event, with over 10,000 registrants and over 50,000 attendees from 63 countries around the world. As the fighting game community continues to grow, Evo is heading to a new, bigger venue: the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees will experience an expanded show floor alongside an arena finals experience for all eight Evo tournaments. The lineup this year is epic: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat 1, The King Of Fighters XV, Guilty Gear -Strive-, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes.

New and returning show floor experiences

This year’s event features brand-new show-floor attractions, alongside the return of fan favorites like the Free Play Arcade, Arcade Stick Museum, Cosplay Competition, and hands-on demos of upcoming games.

Evo attendees will also get a hands-on look at new and highly anticipated fighting games, including 2XKO, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Rivals 2, Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, and HunterxHunter NenxImpact.

Make sure to check out the debut of the Evo Art Gallery, a celebration of fighting game history. The Gallery will feature over 100 pieces, including illustrations, promotional posters, and more. 

The Evo Cosplay Competition will showcase world-class cosplayers dressed as characters from your favorite fighting games.

The Arcade Controller Museum highlights the brands and communities of fighting games. Experience the history of the arcade controller and check out a vast collection of Evo controllers, community pieces, game-licensed fight sticks, and more. 

The popular Free Play Arcade is back with more games and an expanded footprint. There are more games this year than ever before, from vintage FGC classics to modern cabinets. 

Catch up with PlayStation at Evo

The PlayStation Booth will be on the floor with exclusive demos, competitions, and gear. Fans can play a demo of the upcoming Astro Bot and test their skills in Gran Turismo 7 Time Trials. New and exclusive merch will be available onsite at the PlayStation Gear Store. Players can drop in and practice their skills on all eight Evo titles.

During Evo, there will be major fighting games on discount as a part of PlayStation Store’s Summer Sale. Head to PlayStation Store when the promotion goes live on July 17.

Watch Evo this weekend

You can tune in to live coverage of Evo on twitch.tv/evo and the PlayStation Esports YouTube channel. Event Badges for this year’s record-breaking Evo will be available right up to the weekend of the event at evo.gg

Evo is defined by the fans. Your passion for fighting games makes this event something special, and we’re grateful for that support. Stay tuned for more Evo news and announcements soon. See you at Evo 2024.

The Kung Fu Panda 4-Movie Blu-Ray Collection Has a Massive Prime Day Discount

It is once again time for Amazon Prime Day, which means there are many deals and bundles available on sale for your buying/watching pleasure. One of those deals mentioned is a 4-movie collection of the Kung Fu Panda movie series: an action-packed and hilarious series of movies that follows a bumbling, charming Panda Bear through his journey to fully become the Dragon Warrior. All 4 movies bundled together, including the latest in the series, are currently at their lowest price ever.

Kung Fu Panda: 4-Movie Collection (Blu-ray + Digital) – 43% Off

Fans of the series already know Kung Fu Panda is a beloved animated movie series about a clumsy, prophecy-fulfilling Panda that has released 4 films over 16 years since the release of the first film in 2008. Through all 4 films, they have managed to maintain an average 80% Rotten Tomatoes score and kept audiences coming back for more. With Kung Fu Panda 4 only just releasing on digital formats this year, the current price is definitely of note and is worth considering for your Blu-ray collection.

For our take on each of the movies, you can check out our reviews of the films below:

Where to Stream All Kung Fu Panda Movies

Although we personally think it’s always better to own phyical copies of movies, you can currently watch all of these films online. For the moment, every Kung Fu Panda movie is available to stream on Peacock with a subscription and available to rent or buy on Amazon or YouTube. For an in-depth look at where to watch the these animated films, check out our full article on the matter.

Connor Sheppard is an Oregon-grown culture writer for IGN with previous work on The Manual. Intrigued from a young age by pop culture and movies, he has developed into an experienced critic and consumer of all things media. From his time earning a bachelor’s degree in digital communications at Oregon State University, he found a love for writing and appreciating specific actors and directors in the many films he watches.

Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 7 will add dynamic splitscreen, new evil endings, Dark Urge fixes and lots more kissing

The word “kiss” occurs 10 times in the latest blog post for the seventh major Baldur’s Gate 3 patch, while the word “bug” occurs 14 times. I think this ratio captures how BG3 updates at large walk the line between dealing with stuff like progression blockers, and sating the inexhaustible horniness of the fanbase. There’s more to patch 7 than glitch-hunting and snogs, however. Due in September, it introduces dynamic splitscreen functionality, expansions for Honour mode, modding tools, new endings for evil playthroughs, and a brace of tweaks for Origin characters.

Read more

Dead by Daylight’s Highly-Requested 2v8 Mode Out Next Week

Dead by Daylight fans who have been asking Behaviour Interactive for years for a 2v8 mode will be happy to know that this highly requested feature will be available starting next week.

Behaviour Interactive confirmed that the 2v8 game mode will be available to players beginning July 25. As previously confirmed during the Dead by Daylight 8th anniversary stream, 2v8 is a fast-paced, chaotic mode in which two killers team up to hunt down and kill eight survivors. The mode will be available for a limited time, with players having until August 8 to try it.

Dead by Daylight’s 2v8 mode will be available on five classic maps. To accommodate the increase in players, the maps have been expanded, and generators “have also been doubled,” according to Behaviour. Survivors only need to repair eight of the 13 generators to escape the map.

Additional changes to 2v8 mode include the removal of Hooks and Perks, and downed survivors will now be sent directly to cages. Survivor Perks are also being swapped in favor of a class system to place greater emphasis on teamwork. With the removal of classes, killers will receive “alterations to their powers,” along with a team-based ability that will allow them to amplify the chaos.

In addition to 2v8, Behaviour confirmed cross-progression will arrive in Dead by Daylight starting July 22. This will allow players to sync their progress and purchases across the many different platforms the popular asymmetrical horror game is available on. To access cross-progression, players will need a Behaviour account and own a copy of the base game for whichever platforms they prefer to play Dead by Daylight on.

More interestingly, Behaviour quietly revealed the release date for The Casting of Frank Stone today. This upcoming horror game is a spinoff set in the Dead by Daylight universe developed by Until Dawn and The Quarry developer Supermassive Games.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.