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December Status Update
🕑 Added 2025-12-08 02:44:08 +0000 UTCGreetings, ladies and gentlemen,
It’s been a while since the last post, but we’re still around. As mentioned, I took a week or two off from working on the game—the last weeks before the update were honestly packed to the brim just to make the release possible and avoid further delays. It was pretty much a full-time job on top of my regular job 😅
Now, while I did say I would “take a few weeks off,” I still got drawn back to my game files more often than I’d like to admit. So while no writing was done in the last weeks, there was still some progress on the game. Mostly busywork, but let me show you what happened and talk a bit about the next updates.
The last weeks since the release:
Well, the obvious first: there were bugs, despite two full weeks of testing. But I think the worst ones have been fixed by now, and it should be a smooth experience at this point.
I also received a lot of nice feedback, which genuinely made me happy. There was a ton of work involved, and seeing it appreciated means a lot to me and my team.
Aside from bug-fixing, a rework of the main menu is also on the way. Granted, that’s probably not the most important thing, but I wasn’t a fan of how “generic Ren’Py” it looked. So now we have animated buttons. There’s still a bit of work left on it, but nothing too serious. The current status can be seen in the title image here.
Another thing: more image reworks. With Update 7 we updated some older images—mostly side characters and the main cast in their current versions. Over time, I want to rework even more of the old artwork, though it might take a while. Here are some examples of what got done over the last weeks:
Currently, Oscar and I have reworked Gina (Lvl 1–4), Stella (Lvl 1–3), Jade (Lvl 1–4), the Amazon dream, and several of the stream scenes. Altogether, that’s roughly 300 images updated.
We still plan to rework a few more old ones before the public release, but starting this week the focus is shifting again—writing for the next chapters has officially begun. We’re back on track, so let me talk a little bit about what’s coming next.
The Next Updates:
Update 7.1 - Monstrous Machinations:
This update will be a pure story expansion. We’ll once again follow the events inside Lab 1 as the Geier siblings push science to its limits. And we’ll follow Opal as she maneuvers through this dangerous place, looking for ways to gain more strength and take revenge on everyone who wronged her. We might even get a small glimpse into Tanya’s mind and background.
Once more, I decided to hire external help—using the very money you patrons so graciously donated to this project. Beriya will assist us with writing again. (He wrote Susan’s part in the last villain arc, as well as parts of Rose’s intimate scene and Akari’s shower, so he’s definitely qualified.)
The outline for the story is already set, so now it’s “just” a matter of writing it down and creating the images needed for the scenes. With the work divided between Beriya and our core team, we should make good progress.
Update 8 - College Chaos:
The college arc will be out third recruitment arc (out of four), and will put Aline in the leading role. Sadly, I can’t say much about the concept yet. We’ve done a lot of planning on the characters and the general direction, but I haven’t made a final decision on the exact concept of the update. There are multiple options, after all:
Pure story expansion with a linear path
Pure story expansion with a linear path that later gets cut up and integrated into the open world (like I did with Xici’s Lab or the Velvet Touch updates)
A contained, limited open world with the campus as a new map and unique game mechanics (concept-wise a bit like Trials and Triceps, just with a different game as inspiration this time)
A full, large-scale open-world update with an integrated recruitment arc (like Army of Amazons or the latest Girls with Dragon Tattoos)
Right now I’m leaning toward option 3. I don’t want to spend eight months on another huge update, but doing only story is pretty boring coding-wise. I’ll talk more with my team, write some proof-of-concepts, and maybe put it to a vote here.
Anyway, we will probably release the current update to the public in two weeks. By then I should also be able to say more about the college arc and I'll probably update my roadmap again.
Have a lovely week!! (And tell all of your other favourite FMG-creators that you like their work!! It's important, trust me!!) Anyway, I'll keep in touch. Expect a new post with info and some Christmas themed images before holidays start 🫡
Comments
Ashamed Lurker
I'm still at act 2 of my replay, so I haven't the slightest idea of what to expect for the next villain arc XD. What I can say is that the work done with the new sprites is really impressive, a couple of days ago I was going through a conversation between Cath and Gina and I was floored by the difference in sharpness, detail and general cleanliness with the new models. The news that you are already working on a new iteration for the main cast is awesome, though it probably means another new run from scratch for me. About the new content, I would really love for it to have some kind of gameplay, I don't really like to scroll passively for long times. At the same time I'm worried that even option 3 might end up in an herculean task on the backend side of development and your team already showed that they have the narrative chops to pull out a banger even when constricted by the glacial pacing of the visual novel medium. So much so that Velvet Touch and expecially Xici's Lab are what cemented my opinion of Gina's Gym being a pretty darn good game for real, no need for any porn or fetish moniker. Anyways be sure to rest and bask in your accomplishments until your batteries are fully recharged, you earned it.
The_Don
Damn, I had so much fun writing that weird trial. Played so well into Gina's unique mindset😅 But I was fully aware this was not for everyone (hence the cheat function to skip the riddles). I will however make a vote here before I commit to building another game parody as gameplay elements (would of course not be Phoenix Wright again, but rather a classical adventure-type game like Edna & Harvey: The Breakout or the Monkey Island games).
Mal
Love the game, it's been my fav for a long time now and this last chapter didn't disappoint! I do like option 3's idea of a limited open world, but not if it's similar to trials and triceps (sorry to say, but that has been my least favorite part of the game so far). How about using the best darn game out there for inspiration, Gina's Gym! Just a new mini zone to explore and meet new characters? Just a thought, I trust whatever you guys release will be epic!
