September 2026 Progress Report

Hello everyone, Warumiyo here.

Thanks to everyone who purchased MASSAGE MY EX-BULLY: Side Story, which we released last month, we're now in a position to keep development going.

Releasing a game, even a small one, taught us a lot and gave us a chance to reflect on how we approach game development.

As a result, we've made a few changes to the direction of our games and spent some time adjusting our plans. Here are the main points:

1. Players shouldn't have to put in unnecessary effort to play the game.

2. Getting the balance between the effort players put in and the rewards they receive right is important enough to significantly affect their overall opinion of the game.

3. Rather than trying to include everything we want to make, we need to understand what players most look forward to, then separate the core and secondary content around those priorities.

1. People generally don't enjoy reading long passages, and storytelling isn't one of our team's main strengths, so we'll convey the story naturally through gameplay rather than through dedicated story scenes.

In some ways, these are very basic principles, but it took us quite a while to recognize them because of our own shortcomings.

So we've decided where to focus our efforts, cut parts that don't support the core experience—even if we'd already developed them—and improve the quality of the most important parts.

Changes

◆ What's Removed

1. Dropped the management simulation direction

• We don't think players would enjoy managing and looking after the massage parlor when Arin isn't there.

• There's no longer any need to massage regular customers, so we've removed all the related systems.

• With regular customer massages gone, we've changed the system so players only play through days when Arin visits.

• Removed laundry, facility maintenance, and massage parlor upgrades. These were tedious elements that would only wear players out.

• Although the upgrade system is gone, new facilities will still unlock as the game progresses. They'll initially be under repair, with repairs completed and the facilities opened as you advance.

2. Removed the in-game currency (Gold) system

• Removing regular customer massages also left us without a clear way to award in-game currency.

• Considering the types of items available, the shop system essentially existed to give players something to spend that currency on. So we've removed the shop as well.

• Instead of using currency, we've changed things so players naturally receive rewards in other forms as they play.

3. Removed the controls for Arin's idol dancing

• We introduced this to bring out Arin's identity as an idol within a game centered on massage, but it required too much development work relative to the core content.

• Instead, we're introducing social media content about Arin's idol activities—a simpler but effective way to express that side of her character.

4. Removed the various weekend activities

• The weekend activities we'd planned, such as shopping, going to the gym, attending concerts, and going on dates, strayed too far from the core massage gameplay. Considering how much they would contribute to the erotic massages players expect—or how effectively they would build up to them—the development cost was too high, so we decided to cut them.

• Variety is important, but we decided these activities weren't important enough to be part of either the core or secondary content in Arin's story. They also aren't likely to be what players mainly come to this game for, so we've cut them.

5. Removed unnecessary stats

• We've removed stats that would make the game feel cumbersome, weren't essential to the core experience, or added unnecessary complexity.

• These include stamina, player's level, skill points, reputation, Arin's satisfaction, and Arin's mood.

• We've adjusted the system so the benefits tied to those stats are either gained naturally through gameplay or incorporated into other existing stats, reducing the hassle while keeping the fun.

6. Removed the skill tree system

• Leveling up as a massage therapist, earning skill points, and then spending them to improve specific systems or unlock new actions was cumbersome in itself, so we've removed it to make the game simpler.

• Instead, we've changed the structure so new interactions and stronger massage effects become available naturally as you play. This should make things much more convenient for players.

7. Removed the multiple massage outfit system

• We'd planned to introduce a gacha element through the shop and create a variety of outfits. But this isn't an adult game that only uses standing character art. There are 16 massage scene illustrations with different compositions, plus additional sleep massage scenes, animation work on it, and visual changes for erect nipples and a wet pussy. Even one massage outfit requires a lot of work, and adding only another one or two would cost too much development time, so we've settled on a single massage outfit this time.

◆ What's Revised

1. Clearer progression

• We've clearly divided the game into 3 parts.

  Chapter 1: [My Idol, My Angel] (early game),

  Chapter 2: [Our Little Secret] (midgame),

  Chapter 3: [My Idol, Mine Alone] (late game).

• The requirements for advancing from one stage to the next are clearly defined and shown to players.

• We've designed progression so it won't take too long to reach the next stage and the game won't drag, yet you can stay in a stage as long as you want.

• Each stage has clearly defined interactions, ways of portraying the relationship with the heroine, and minigame unlocks.

• We plan to let players play up to the beginning of Chapter 2 in the demo.

• Your results in Chapter 1 determine which route you enter in Chapter 2.

• Your Chapter 2 route limits which story paths you can enter in Chapter 3.

• Chapter 3 has four endings. There's also a game-over ending that can occur in any chapter, bringing the game's total to five endings.

2. Massage system

• One thing we've always felt while making massage games is that, although a sense of progression is good, the limited interactions available early on make it difficult for players to enjoy the massage itself.

• So we've worked out how to give players clear goals and keep the pacing from dragging.

• Since you now only play through days when Arin visits, the system cuts down the time between massages. Each massage session is also designed to end before players get bored.

• Instead of continuing a massage until you run out of action points, sessions now have a set time limit, with massage actions consuming that time.

• We've changed the design so each individual massage action is short, while different combinations of massages affect the chances of different outcomes.

• We've reduced unnecessary variables and kept only the essential functions, allowing players to deliberately work toward a particular outcome.

• Combining massages affects Arin in the following ways:

  1. Her relaxation increases or decreases.

  2. Her arousal increases or decreases.

  3. The massage combination determines the chance of a rejection check resulting in her refusing or enduring it. If she refuses, her relaxation and arousal change.

• Massages still have three basic positions: sitting, lying on her back, and lying on her stomach.

• In these basic positions, you can only interact with your hands. The available massages span a total of 10 levels of sexual harassment.

• Not every massage is available from the start, but new ones unlock quickly as you play. Unlocking a massage doesn't mean Arin will accept it, though—her rejection response depends on its sexual harassment level and your relationship with her. To help with this, combining massages effectively can lower her chance of rejecting you.

• When her relaxation reaches 100 during a basic-position massage, Arin starts falling asleep. She stays asleep while her relaxation gauge is between 100 and 200, letting the player peek at her private parts or do naughty things to her. This should give players something to enjoy early on, when sexual interactions are otherwise difficult to access.

• We're presenting sexual acts while Arin is asleep in a way that maximizes tension (through sound & visual effects), with reactions and penalties for getting caught, as well as reactions when she wakes up without being sure what happened.

• While Arin is awake, she can enter certain psychological states that change the effects of massages, allowing players to use them strategically.

• In the midgame, reaching 100 arousal during a basic-position massage leads to S/M Massage Stage 1: depending on the current S/M route, you either order Arin to move into it or she makes you do so. The type of S/M massage you enter depends on the basic position you were using. Stage 1 allows overtly sexual touching and caressing.

• In the late game, when Arin's orgasm gauge reaches 100 during S/M Massage Stage 1, you choose whether to move on to S/M Massage Stage 2 or stop and switch to a massage in another position. Stage 2 also has three S types and three M types, with various sex positions suited to each inclination.

• During S/M Massage Stage 2, only the heroine's climax gauge and the player's ejaculation gauge change.

• We've worked on visual changes for erect nipples and a wet pussy so players can see how aroused Arin is.

• Massage scenes will display Arin's thoughts or dialogue, as well as the player's thoughts or dialogue.

• You can have conversations during massages, but unlike in Mari's story, this is implemented simply, without needing to choose what to talk about. These conversations let you see how your relationship with Arin is developing and advance the story, but they aren't required to progress through the game.

• Redrew the massage hands, changing them from semi-transparent to opaque.

• Removed many of the less arousing massages and introduced new ones with hand movements designed to be as arousing as possible.

• We've been reworking Arin's facial reactions to match the new massage pacing.

3. Other elements

• H-Status: Removed the details about her ex-boyfriend (Arin's now virgin), added more of an idol feel, designed Arin to develop fetishes based on how you play, and changed the types of information displayed.

• Pregnancy system: Arin's ovulation cycle varies across Weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4. By checking which week it is when she visits, you can pursue or avoid the outcome you want.

• Early S/M routes: Previously, increasing her S inclination would decrease her M inclination, and vice versa. We've removed that inverse relationship so the two can increase independently. In early game, reaching 20% in either inclination lets you choose its route. (You don't need to get both to 20%.)

• During massages, you can ask or order Arin to take her clothes off or put them back on.

• Minigame unlock timing: Early game → receptionist and changing room; midgame → shower room; late game → restroom.

• You can check Arin's official social media posts about Arin's idol activities on the computer at lobby.

• Although you now only play through days when Arin visits the massage parlor, her visits will still become more frequent as your relationship develops.

• Maybe Arin will show up in a special outfit for Christmas or Halloween?

That's everything.

The new system design and restructuring are nearly finished. As of September 30th, here's what each of us still has left to do before the demo is complete:

• J: Background illustrations for M1 massages; Sleep massage illustrations for the lying-on-her-back and lying-on-her-stomach positions; writing the massage conversation scripts; illustrations and coding for the changing room minigame; creating Arin's social media content.

• Hiro: Reworking Arin's massage animations in Spine2D; reworking Arin's facial expression animations in Spine2D; coding the sleep massage features; coding the massage conversations; coding the integration of the Spine2D animations into Unity.

Once the demo is complete, we'll publish an announcement with the demo files and a rundown of the work remaining before the full game is finished.

Always thx for your support!