Rob Colton

I helped to co-host Bara Jam 2021 this year and we had a nice turnout with 23 submissions, the largest number yet! Check out the other Bara Jam 2021 games on Itch!

My submission this year was Human Cargo: Whodunit?! 

Based on the Human Cargo visual novel, Human Cargo: Whodunit?! is a mystery puzzle game in the style of Clue/Cluedo.

Choose a character, gather clues, and solve the murder!

You can play Human Cargo: Whodunit?! on the Web here, or download an offline version for your platform from Itch.io for free.

With the 1.0 release of Human Cargo pending, it's finally time to preview what's coming next...

An American Lamb In Europe has been re-published!

It is now available on Amazon for purchase once again. It is also available as a Kindle Unlimited selection, allowing you to read it "free" with your subscription.

(NOTE: If you own the original edition, there aren’t any changes in this edition.)

Jamie Anderson knows you need to look before you leap, but he forgets it often enough to land in trouble. When his brother and only remaining family member disappears, he doesn’t think twice about quitting his job as a dental hygienist to travel to the Czech Republic to search for him.

Rescued by the sexy, mysterious Tomas in a small city near the German border, Jamie enlists his help in locating Rudy. Soon Jamie realizes the man knows more than he’s sharing. When Jamie demands Tomas tell him the truth, Tomas reveals he’s a vampire. Horrified the man he’s fantasized about is a monster, Jamie struggles with the fact he still needs Tomas’s help to find Rudy.

Jamie never expects their search will land him in the middle of a vampire turf war.

Human Cargo Version 0.96 is now available!

This update adds a new CG during the Kol route. And with this version, all of the soundtrack music is complete!

What's New

Kol Initiates a Ritual - final CG artwork

Soundtrack - final music for Border Station Theme

Soundtrack - final music for Phestur's Theme

Gallery - Fix Interior Diagram CG not unlocking

Misc bug fixes

If you're interested in testing an iOS release for iPad/iPhone, it's available to Patreon subscribers. (Note that the iOS release has the Censored option permanently enabled, so the CGs and sprites with nudity are not present in the game and censored images appear in their place.)

My Bara Jam 2019 submission Rogue is now available to download!

It's a short and sweet point-and-click adventure game in the classic LucasArts style. Help Rollie solve the mystery of the rogue... and maybe catch himself a man in the meantime!

Download it for free at: https://robcolton.itch.io/rogue

Human Cargo Version 0.90 is now available!

Doc's story is now complete, and now available to download on Itch.io!

In addition to being able to romance Doc, this update features two new CG events: a second CG for Zed and Yoshi, and a new Nasir and Yoshi CG. (The Nasir/Yoshi CG has two different versions depending on if you choose the "kink" route or not.)

There are two new alternate endings, where Yoshi could meet an untimely demise.

Also available is a new Heat Rating preference. You can set it to Explicit or Censored. Currently, the Censored option will display alternate graphics for CGs that don't display nudity. Sprites will no longer be naked or erect and will display with their underwear on instead. The next update will also censor some of the more explicit text.

Finally, starting with 0.90, the Mac version is now distributed in a notarized dmg compatible with Mac OS Catalina (10.15).

What's New

Doc's route complete!

Zed and Yoshi #2 - final CG artwork

Nasir and Yoshi #1 - final CG artwork plus variant

Pirate Raider Corridor - final background art

Added two alternate endings

Added Heat Rating (Explicit/Censored) to Preferences

Added censored artwork variations for CGs and Sprites

Mac version now compatible with Mac OS Catalina

Misc bug fixes

Download now on Itch.io!

This past week Human Cargo hit a big milestone. The game has been downloaded over 30,000 times now. I’m amazed and humbled by the success, and I thank all of you for giving the visual novel a try.

Human Cargo is set in the same universe as the Galactic Conspiracies books, so the visual novel and the books compliment each other very well. I think fans of one will enjoy the other as well.

To celebrate the occasion, let’s do a raffle!

The grand prize is the trilogy of paperback books for the Galactic Conspiracies series (The Degan Incident, The Cassini Mission, The Degan Paradox), plus a Human Cargo swag pack, which includes a sticker sheet, two coasters, and a pin.

The second place prize will be the ebook version of the Galactic Conspiracies books plus the swag pack. I’ll be giving away two of these.

Also, I have five swag packs I’ll be giving away.

The raffle is through RaffleCopter. It starts on Sept 23 2019 and will run for a week. See the Raffle widget for ways of entering. Good luck and thank you all so much!

You can download Human Cargo for free at Itch.io!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Human Cargo Version 0.85 is now available!

This update features a lot of new background artwork and a couple of new cut scenes. We also have a new CG artwork for Zed and Yoshi's final scene, in addition to a second CG artwork for Razix and Yoshi's love scene.

I've also expanded Kol's storyline, mostly chapter 6, but also chapter 5 and 10.

What's New

Expanded Kol's storyline, particularly in Chapters 5, 6, 10

Soundtrack - final music for Doc's Theme

Razix and Yoshi #2 - final CG artwork

Zed and Yoshi #1 - final CG artwork

Barakai exterior - final CG artwork

Barakai interior - final CG artwork

Barakai/Pirate Encounter - final CG artwork

Cargo Container - background variant without bed

Yoshi - Added new sprite variations

Kol - Added new sprite variations

Fixed issue with Menu closing on rollback

Fixed issue with Nasir being too "heavy-handed"

Misc bug fixes

Mark "Briar" Thorne (@BriarsThorne) created a sticker pack based on Human Cargo's Barakai freighter crew. He did an awesome job of capturing their personalities in the small images. And they're super cute to boot!

The latest version of Human Cargo is available to download on Itch.io.

Human Cargo Version 0.80 is now available!

In addition to the new redesigned user interface, the major feature in this update is you're now able to pursue Nasir. We also have new CG artwork for the final Kol and Razix scenes.

What's New!

Nasir's route complete!

User Interface redesign by Hijiri

Kol and Yoshi #1 - final CG artwork

Razix and Yoshi #1 - final CG artwork

Zed's Quarters - final background art

Razix's Quarters - final background art

Nasir's Quarters - final background art

Doc's Quarters - final background art

Cygnus Colony Market - final background art

Soundtrack - demo music for Doc's Theme

Misc bug fixes

Download the latest version for free at Itch.io.

I've been working with artist and game developer Hijiri​ on the graphical user interface for Human Cargo. His current work in progress Where the White Doves Rest​ has an amazing look and feel, and I was excited to see what he could do for my game.

The new GUI will debut with the game's next update, but you can see a sneak peek on my Patreon page (available to all):

https://www.patreon.com/posts/27958955

One ditching and one rescue later, Hayden discovers the use of a telephone isn’t the only offer that’s on the table…

"The Buckle” was originally part of the Stranded anthology from Wayward Ink Publishing, and was also available as a standalone short. After Wayward Ink went under, the rights reverted back to me and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I’ve decided to go ahead and post it for free on GA.

(Fans of Noah’s New Plan might recognize the setting as well as the character Rex.)

The major feature in this new update is you're now able to pursue Zed. In addition to several new backgrounds, this update also includes the final version of Doc's sprite, so all of the characters are now complete.

What's New!

Zed's route complete!

Doc - Updated final sprite

Mess Hall - final background art

Interior Corridor - final background art

Cargo Container Interior - final background art

Security Office - final background art

Soundtrack - final music for Razix's Theme

Soundtrack - demo music for Zed's Theme

New Logo courtesy of Hijiri

Misc bug fixes

You can download the update from Itch.io!

Human Cargo version 0.65 is now available!

This release features final artwork for several backgrounds, as well as the final version of Zed's sprite artwork. A Linux build is also available for the first time.

What's New!

Bridge - final background art

Observation Deck - final background art with animation

Locker Room - final background art with animation

Border Station docking port - final background art

Interior Door - final background art

Zed - Updated final sprite

Soundtrack - final music for Trading Post Theme

Misc bug fixes

The next release is all about Zed. Look for Zed’s route to be playable later this month.

You can download the update from Itch.io!

The first update for Human Cargo is now live!

Version 0.55 is a minor update, focusing on fixing some spelling and dialog errors. It also includes some new art assets and expanding the presence of the Wixanite character in the prologue, complete with a new sprite for our alien Union officer. Also new is a release for Android!

Thanks for the great feedback so far!

What's New! • Chapter 9 - added a new CG artwork • Expanded Wixanite presence in the Prologue • Trading Post - final background art • Wixanite - final sprite • Soundtrack - final music for Kol's Theme • Nasir - Updated work in progress sprite • Add changelog.txt file and About page tab • Misc. spelling and expression fixes

You can download the update from Itch.io!

The first public demo of Human Cargo is now available to download!!

The demo features a complete route for one character, Kol, captain of the cargo freighter. Final sprites are in game for Yoshi, Kol, Razix, and the NPC side characters. A preview of Nasir’s sprite is also in game.

Look for Doc and Zed to appear in future updates. Backgrounds are also in progress and will be added with regular updates.

Two music tracks are complete: Cargo Freighter Theme and Pirate Raiders Theme. Kol’s Theme is the next track to be finished.

If you're interested in helping fund development, consider becoming a patron at Patreon. All contributions will go into developing the visual novel: paying for graphics, music, and other things I am unable to create myself.

I would love to hear any feedback you might have!