Developer Log: Thank You for Waiting. This Is a Letter from Wickel

Dear friends, it has been a long time!

We are truly, deeply sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.

It has been almost two years since the base game of Sunset Hills was released. During this long stretch of time, we have received many requests for updates, as well as confusion and frustration. We also know that every delay has worn away at your enthusiasm and patience. Sitting in front of our screens, we have never stopped feeling guilty and anxious. Today, we can finally come before you with confidence and formally talk about this DLC, Wickel, which we have polished again and again and poured our hearts into.

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We understand that the long wait may have caused many old friends to gradually forget the days spent traveling with Nico, and to forget the gentle warmth once felt beneath the sunset and in the breeze. But please believe us: we have not been idle, and we have certainly not given up. The reason we have moved so slowly is that we want to go farther. Like all of you, we love this world, and we love these wonderful dogs, so very much. We do not want to answer your expectations with something perfunctory. We want to give Nico, and all of you, a story truly worthy of the emotions you have placed in it.

Why Wickel?

If the journey in the base game was a gentle glow of evening light, then Wickel is a journey in search of a spark amid the bitter winter.

This time, a sudden avalanche forces the train to make an unexpected stop, and Nico must step into the snow-covered city of Wickel to seek help. This was once a place engulfed by gunfire, but now it has become a quiet little city blanketed in white snow. Here, Nico will move between the old district, worn but full of everyday life, and the new district, orderly and austere.

Old friends who once formed special bonds in the fires of war, along with a careful and resilient nurse, will reunite with Nico in this small city of snow. As the scars of the past are covered by white snow, the secrets hidden beneath the ice begin to stir quietly.

This Time, We Want to Try Something Different with You

To make this brand-new journey feel substantial, we have done a great deal of polishing and experimentation with the gameplay. We have always believed that puzzles should not be rigid stages, but part of the narrative itself.

In Wickel, you will experience:

A round of dominoes in a warm and welcoming hotel. As you listen to the crisp clatter of tiles falling one after another, snowflakes drift outside the window and warmth rises indoors. In this moment, the weary traveler will enjoy a long-missed spell of leisure within the small space of a minigame.

Collect scattered everyday objects and piece them together into keys for solving puzzles. Those seemingly insignificant items all carry traces of their owners' pasts. With your own hands, give them new logic and new possibilities, and open one tightly shut door after another on the way to the truth.

Mysterious graffiti throughout the streets and alleys. These are not random scribbles, but the city's silent protests and memories, waiting for you and Nico to decipher them.

Before the coming election day, you will uncover the conspiracy hidden behind the ice and snow through these rich interactions and by gathering evidence. We hope that, as every player encounters dog characters with distinct personalities, they will once again feel the message we have always wanted to convey: "Healing others is, in truth, also healing yourself."

Plans for Future Updates

Many friends are concerned about the pace of future updates, and here we would also like to speak with you openly.

As you all know, our team has an almost obsessive love for these furry companions. Every wag of a tail and every warm greeting carries all the effort we have put in. We have shaped every detail of this journey as carefully as if it were our own child. This love is our deepest tribute to these beautiful lives. For that very reason, we have poured all our strength and emotion into this Wickel chapter without holding anything back. We hope to place all of our love into this chapter, polishing every snowflake and every puzzle in Wickel to the fullest.

To thank everyone for your continued understanding and support, this substantial third chapter will be made available for free to all players who already own the base game, with no additional payment required. New players will also only need to purchase the base game to unlock all content. Every bit of your support is the gentlest nourishment for this furry world.

After accompanying Nico through this substantial train journey across the snowy land, we may need a long period of time to settle and reflect. Therefore, after the Wickel update concludes, we do not currently have further update plans. We want to leave the most perfect still frame in this coming midsummer. We know that many of you must be counting the days and urging us on right now, but please rest assured: this time, we absolutely will not miss it.

At present, all development and packaging work for Wickel has officially wrapped up, and the game has entered the final review and release queues on major platforms. During these final dozen or so days, we are carrying out the last round of pre-launch testing to ensure that, when every friend opens the doors to Wickel in midsummer, what awaits is the most complete and smooth journey through the snowy land.

If you are a returning player who once stood side by side with Nico and looked out at the scenery, we hope that when the scenes of Wickel appear before you again, they will awaken the long-dormant emotion in your heart. That dream of companionship, farewell, and healing now has the most heartfelt annotation we could write for you.

If you are a new player who has only just noticed us, Wickel's snowy scenery is at its most beautiful, and Nico is about to pack his bags and set off. In this hot summer, why not enjoy the cool air and join us on this icy adventure where the heart can find a place to rest?

Thank you. Thank you for every bit of understanding and patience you have still been willing to give us, even while urging us forward.

• The Sunset Hills Development Team