The Use of Life News

Hello everyone,

Thank you playing The Use of Life!
We have updated the game to Ver.1.0.01, Here are the bug fixes and changes.

[h2]◆ Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed various typos
  
• Corrected several localization issues
  
• Fixed an issue where some items displayed translations belonging to different items
  
• Fixed missing battle background asset that appears while crossing the Dragon Skeleton in The Promised Land
  
• Fixed missing village image when choosing the route toward the village at Dawn Hill
  
• Fixed an issue where Cursed Briars applied its effect for 3 turns instead of 1
  
• Fixed an issue where the Berserker Bone was not applying its +1 CP effect properly
  
• Fixed an issue where the QTE bar would stop moving if an enemy's Speed stat was reduced to 0
  
• Fixed an issue where the "Change Weapon" function was not available from the start
  
• Fixed an issue where equipment modifiers for Max HP/MP would disappear when stats increased during events
  
• Fixed an issue where the previous BGM would briefly play when switching to a new track.
  

We hope you continue to enjoy The Use of Life!

The multi-ending adventure book style RPG, The Use of Life, has completed its Early Access period and is now officially released!
With this full release update, all endings and achievements have been implemented, allowing players to enjoy the complete experience.

After updating to the official release, story-related achievements will automatically be granted accordingly based on the endings you have already completed.
However, achievements related to extra challenges will require players to meet the conditions after the update, so we encourage players interested in fully 100% clearing the game to actively play and explore.

Over the three and a half years of Early Access Development, we refined and updated the game with the support and feedback from all of you.
This allowed us to create a game that delivers challenging choices, tense combat, and satisfying moments of accomplishments.
We are deeply grateful to all the players who supported and stayed with us along the way.


[h3]Message from the developer, Daraneko Games:[/h3]

Finally...finally, we are able to fully release the game.
It's been three and a half years since we initially released the game on Early Access, five years since the demo, and even longer if you count from when development first began.

This is the first game released under our studio name, Daraneko Games, but I didn't expect it to take this long.
My original plan as an indie developer, was to take some time to create small games, and develop a fan base, then release a full fledged game when I felt ready.

Even now, I still believe that approach is better when considering how to make a living as an indie game developer.
And more releases generally mean more fans and revenue.

...But still...it look longer than expected.
From a business standpoint, this wasn't ideal, however, from a creative standpoint, I think the extra time was worth it.

I've always wanted to create games that people will remember and talk about 10 or 20 years from now but, spending this much time shaping The Use of Life, has given me the confidence to believe that it could become that kind of game.
At the very least, I can say I aimed to create a "perfect 100 point game" for myself and having achieved that will positively influence my career as a creator.
While this game may not appeal to everyone, I'll be happy if it deeply resonates with some players.

.
.
.

......but that being said
There's also the reality of the fact that if the game doesn't sell well, creating the next project will be quite difficult.
What I'm about to say might be a little embarrassing but...

This game heavily depends on word of mouth advertising.
Here's the honest truth, we weren't able to do extensive event appearances or PR before release due to our limited budget. Therefore, The Use of Life will need word of mouth to continue to find its audience.
If you enjoyed the game, we'd be incredibly grateful if you could leave a Steam review or share your thoughts on social media, with friends, family or even colleagues.
Like the butterfly effect, even a single positive recommendation could change the game's future.

At the moment, I'm exhausted but relieved to finally fully release this long overdue game. In December, we'll focus on balancing adjustments and bug fixes based on all of your feedback.
And then next year, we could hopefully look at porting the game to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
And of course, while working on this project, I've been planning future games that I hope to bring to fruition in the future so...
I hope I can reconnect and share more of my experiences with all of you in the next title as well!

It’s November.
We've finally come to the last status report...

As announced a few days ago, the full-release date has been set:
November 26.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1483370/announcements/detail/751664371579486253?snr=2___

Ahhh, it's hard not to get emotional...
Taking a trip down memory lane, the first status report was released back in October 2022, roughly about three years ago.
For the past three years, I’ve been posting monthly status reports like this one but now it's coming to an end.
There’s still some work left such as balancing the final boss, implementing Steam achievements, etc but I’ll keep going full speed ahead so we can release on time.

I’d also like to express my gratitude to everyone who’s been following these monthly updates over the years.
I’ve read every single comment left by you all, and they were a huge source of encouragement.
Maintaining motivation is crucial in long-term game development and you all were a big part of that.
And since this game’s combat system is quite unique and, to be honest, not be for everyone, I do get my fair share of criticism as well.
But nevertheless, seeing all the comments from players who are looking forward to the full release, helped keep me going and I'm grateful for each and every one of you.

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OK, let's talk about the full release.

◆ Regarding the Price
As previously announced, the price will be slightly increased.
(The Early Access price was meant for those who wanted to support the game before its full completion.)

I’ve always felt that indie games tend to be a bit too cheap considering the amount of effort that goes into them,
so even if some people say it’s a little expensive, I’d like to set a price that I personally feel is fair.
Of course, pricing it lower might make it more accessible,
but I’m not planning anything extreme and the plan is to set it at $19.99.


◆ About the “Infinite Arena”
You might have already forgotten about it by now.
That mysterious “Currently Unavailable” option that’s been sitting on the title screen forever was originally planned as a sort of semi-roguelite endgame mode, where you’d fight as long as you could until death.

The idea came from thinking,“Since updates to the Early Access version will inevitably take time,maybe I should include some sort of repeatable content to keep players engaged.”
However, when I later ran a player survey,the overwhelming response was: “Please focus on continuing the main story rather than making the Infinite Arena.” So I decided to prioritize the next story chapter instead.

In short, it was meant to be filler content for the time between updates…but now that the full release is happening this month, it's kind of...lost its purpose...So, for now it will be removed in the full release version.

That said, there are still players who want to enjoy more of the game’s combat, or to try challenging certain bosses with different builds.So I’m hoping to eventually release something similar to it after the official full release so please stay tuned.

Ideally, I’d like to put more work into it and maybe even add new bosses, including characters who couldn’t be fought in the main story (like Suu).
But honestly, most of my savings were spent commissioning art for the main game, so unless the release turns a profit, it’ll be hard to add large-scale new content.
Depending on the situation, I might release it as paid DLC, or make a lighter version as a free update.
I'll be sure to really sit down and think about my decision before executing so please stay tuned.

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So now... we're one month away from full release.
I’ll likely share another short post around the release date, but as for status reports this will be the final one.

Thank you so much for following along!
Please wait just a little longer for the full game. See you soon!

Hello everyone,

We're excited to announce that The Use of Life is finally coming out of Early Access and is ready for a full 1.0 release coming November 26, 2025!

The full release couldn't have been done without the supportive feedback from everyone. The dev team was able to refine, balance, and update the game to make it the best experience possible. We hope you all feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction after you play through the full game. (There's plenty of rewarding post-game content too so we can't wait to share that with you all)

Please note that the price will be updated to $19.99 USD upon full release.
If you've been keeping an eye on the game, we recommend getting the game during Early Access to take advantage of the lower price! (Think of this like a wishlist announcement)

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Visit the Playism Website

We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

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"
It's October."
The end of the year is right around the corner.
Personally, it still feels like we’re only halfway through... but anyway, here’s a progress report.

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In September, I worked on features for the final boss battle, events that take place during the fight, and some post-game bonus content.

I really enjoy making final boss battles.
You don’t have to worry about what comes after, so you can just go wild with ideas.
I plan to make the other two final battles feel equally special, so please stay tuned!

As for the post-game bonus, I created things like an illustration gallery and character profiles.
The gallery only includes illustrations that appear in events, so there aren’t any battle backgrounds, but even so, it ended up being around 60 images.
While putting it together, I couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional...the realization of just how much artwork has been drawn for the game.



For the character profiles, I also added a few side characters that fans had requested.
like Suu’s story and others.



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Now, let's talk about the release date.
We exhibited at an indie game event on October 4–5, and I briefly mentioned it there: we’re aiming for a winter release this year.

Hopefully, by next month’s progress report, I’ll be able to share the exact release date...
assuming nothing goes wrong...fingers crossed..

There’s still plenty to do—some of the final boss’s skills haven’t been made yet, and balance adjustments are still ahead—but progress toward completion is going steady.
Appreciate everyone's patience and please hold on for a little longer.

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And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!