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The Use of Life News

About the status of development as of November (The Final Update)

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!

Full Release Coming November 26!

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

Status Development Update as of October

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!

Developer Status Report: September

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

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It's September.
Here's the status report for the past month.

Chapter 3 adjustments have come to a close and Chapter 4 field events are now fully implemented.
Which means...there are no more "we HAVE to make this" events left!
(Of course, there will still be some minor adjustments and new illustrations added as they come in).

Phew, that took a while...a long while...
Writing, implementing, and directing the massive amount of branching text took up about 70% of the entire development timeline.
Without this process, the game would have been finished much earlier.
When I finally saw the end of this work in sight, I was super restless and when it was over, I just sat there in a daze.
Like everything...came to an end...

The rest of the finishing touches are as follows:
  • Implement new mechanics for the final boss
  • Adjust events to fit the new final boss mechanics
  • Balance tuning from Chapter 4 through the final boss
  • Implement commissioned illustrations
  • Create post-game bonus content
  • Add achievement system
  • Debugging

There's still more that needs to be done but the finish line is really coming into view now.
And I no longer have to think about all the mountain of choices and branching patterns anymore!
(Although I will admit it was very fun to make)

Thanks for waiting just a little longer, we're almost there!

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

Update : Ver.0.6.03

Hello everyone,

Thank you playing The Use of Life!
We have updated the game to Ver.0.6.03, Here are the bug fixes and changes.

[h2]◆ Fixes[/h2]
  • Fixed a bug where if the player decided not to join the fist fighting event in the city, it would reappear after the end of Kohaku's event as if the player had already finished the event.
  • Fixed a bug where Iai War Dance would trigger enemy counter stances.

[h2]◆ Adjustments[/h2]
  • Nerfed all equipment obtained in Route B Chapter 3.
  • Slightly reduced the speed penalty for heavy equipment.
  • Buffed the attack of the large ice sprite.
  • When in a counter stance, enemies will now only counter attacks once per turn.
    - Elmaise's hints have been adjusted to reflect this change.
  • Enemies will no longer enter a counter stance immediately after the last counter stance has expired.
  • The Teacher will now use a new move while in the Snow White Stance.

We hope you continue to enjoy The Use of Life!