This is a shorter version of the Alienworks 2016 blog post, which contains only the information on Highway Blossoms. If you’d like to read the full thing, which also news on The Human Reignition Project, do so at the link here. Be warned that the full version contains NSFW content.

Now onto the Highway Blossoms stuff!

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the game yet, now’s a great time since it’s on sale for 25% off until early January. It’s available on PC, Mac, Linux, and iOS, has a free adult patch available, and can be purchased on Steam, Denpasoft or itch.io. Man that sentence had a lot of commas.

Since release, we’ve had a lot of people asking if the story of Highway Blossoms ends where the game does, and we’ve been saying no. While we have a few ideas for more HB stuff that we could do, today we’re unveiling something that’s been a pet project of Syon’s for a while.

Highway Blossoms: Dusty Trails is a light novel series centered around the Trio of Marah, Joseph and Tess. Written by Syon and illustrated by Myuto, a chapter is now available to read. We hope to do a physical release of the book eventually. Sound like something you’d be interested in? Let us or Sekai Project know!

Here’s Syon’s take on the project:

Hey guys, Syon here. Been a while. I think I was supposed to pop up post-HB to thank everyone for sticking with us. But while I can finish a VN, I can't finish a blog post. Very tragic. Still, before we get into the meat of my designated podium time, I'd like to thank you all for making HB a success. It means a lot to me, and even after six months I'm still not sure how to process it. To this day, I am blown away by the amount of feedback and love it's gotten. It's because of that success and love that Dusty Trails is possible. And speaking of, I've got a little more info to share about that.

Like Josh mentioned, Dusty Trails is going to follow the continued adventures of Mariah, Joseph, and Tess. The story takes place about a month or two after the ending of HB, and a few weeks after the Trio's fruitless search for the government caravan in Texas. With Mariah now lacking a purpose, the three of them wander the southwest United States, hunting for potential treasure and getting themselves into trouble.

But they aren't the only ones. Following the Second Gold Rush, a culture of treasure hunters, prospectors, and general weirdos have started cropping up. All lured out by the legends and rumors that now run rampant. In other words, the west is wild again!

Dusty Trails will mostly be episodic. At least initially. That means every chapter will be a new short story featuring one of the Trio, or all three. Tonally, there is going to be a lot of experimentation. Some stories will be firmly grounded in the Trio's signature insanity, while others will go for a slightly different approach. Either way, we'll be exploring what the events of HB have done to the setting and we'll be learning about the pasts of Mariah, Joseph, and Tess.

Dusty Trails isn't as grounded in reality as HB was. It might not be your thing. But if you dug the Trio in HB, then I think you’ll dig them here. If you’re still on the fence, I think this chapter is a great jumping on point. And yes -- I totally stole this idea from Duel. 

Go ahead and read Chapter 1 here, and let us know what you think of it on Twitter, on our website, or really anywhere that you think we might read. This draft is still a first draft, so stuff might (and probably will change) before it’s all said and done. Plus, as you probably saw above, each chapter will contain an illustration by Myuto, and this one is no exception.

Coming soon is another oft-requested… request. And that is: a physical edition of Highway Blossoms! Excuse the bad lighting; I’m a writer, not a photographer.

You get the game in a DVD-sized case, and it also includes the soundtrack on the same disc. The physical version of the game is the All-Ages edition, although you can apply the adult patch the same way you can with the Steam version. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get everything ready in time for the holidays, but the physical edition will be available on the Sekai Project webstore pretty soon. We hope you like them!

To conclude things, HB’s lead artist Shiyun drew up some final holiday cheer. We hope you’re as toasty and warm as Amber and Marina this season.

In 2017, please look forward to even more updates and content on the Human Reignition Project, Highway Blossoms, and maybe even more. Perhaps we’ll see you at a convention or two.

We hope your holidays are safe and happy, and that 2017 is even better than this year was. From all of us here at Alienworks, thank you for your support.

Alienworks Twitter: twitter.com/alienworksdev

Myuto Twitter: twitter.com/_myuto

Kätzchen Twitter: twitter.com/ratedkatzchen

Shiyun Twitter: twitter.com/gaisvelt