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Press release:
The Japan-based indie games publisher PLAYISM and indie games developer Daraneko are today very proud and thrilled to announce that the full version of their multi-ending adventure book style RPG, ‘The Use of Life’, is now available for PC via Steam.

Over the course of three and a half years of Early Access development, we alongside the developer have continually refined and expanded The Use of Life with the help of invaluable community feedback, and strived to deliver the best possible experience. As a result, we’re incredibly proud to have developed a game that offers a blend of meaningful and sometimes difficult choices, tense and engaging battles, and a strong sense of accomplishment upon completion.

Please take a moment to read the developer’s message down below.

We’ve also included highlights, and recommendations from user reviews of the Early Access version. We feel these points may help sway your decision to purchase the game so please read through them. And if you’re still on the fence, we encourage everyone to try the free demo currently available on Steam!

Message from the Developer
After about three and a half long years in Early Access, we’ve finally made it to the official full release! It’s been a long journey and looking back, so many things happened along the way. For example…

We had initially signed on with a different overseas publisher and were ready to embark on a new journey together with them…only to have to part ways due to unavoidable circumstances. There were times when development funds and living expenses were so tight that I seriously contemplated going into debt and taking out loans…
Times when exhaustion and stress wrecked my mental state, and I found myself curled up in bed mumbling, “A fossil…I want to become a fossil…” I even watched as a game series I was following went on to launch parts 1, 2, AND 3 and reach its conclusion BEFORE I was able to fully release The Use of Life.
When I think back, there were plenty of rough times but I kept pushing forward because my desire to finish this game outweighed anything and everything.
Development ended up taking over six years, far longer than I ever planned, but i was able to keep going thanks to all the positive feedback and comments from players who enjoyed the Early Access version. All of your kind words kept me motivated.

Now, as for this game, it can be described as a game that pursues a uniquely personal sense of fun.From an indie dev perspective, I had several classical philosophies in mind.

“Rather than making a game that scores 80 points across the board, I wanted to risk making it a little more polarizing but create a game that remains true to me and may score only 20 points for some but is a perfect 100 for someone else.”
“Refine and encapsulate what you love and care about, and share what you believe is good with others.”
“This is the kind of game I wanted to play, but it doesn’t exist yet, so I have no choice but to create it myself.”

Here are some thoughts I wanted to tackle when making the game.

I wanted to make an ambitious game that touched upon various aspects, from combat to story, to movement and narrative events. Ultimately I designed it to be fun and hopefully it resonates deeply with many players. While writing the scenarios, I realized that I truly love stories about good people facing hardships, adversity, and suffering, yet never wavering and striving to move forward no matter what. The game features numerous branching events and storylines packed with moments like this. And even though it’s not a visual novel, the total text came out to roughly the equivalent of five novels. If you are a player who enjoys seeing characters persevere through tough times, you may find particular scenes to be quite engaging. We hope you enjoy playing through and experiencing the story. (Just a heads up, you may also find yourself struggling in some fights along the way…)
*Note: The combat system is deliberately made unconventionally and may spark polarizing comments like “the combat system is terrible” to “the combat system is amazing”.
For those curious about the game but are still on the fence, I recommend starting with the demo so you can fully understand and grasp the combat mechanics.
*Demo save data can be carried over to the full version.

User Reviews
◆An intense thrill! Even someone who’s bad at action and strategy games like me got hooked!
◆The combination of suspense, dramatic story, and gameplay is amazing. I was impressed by how the game systems and mechanics and world setting felt so natural and well integrated.
◆The story is full of ups and downs, balancing serious moments with comedic ones perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed the game.
◆Misha and Goshe turned me into a furry! I was completely invested in their friendship and boarded the emotional rollercoaster.
◆It felt like I was playing a tabletop RPG, which was an absolute blast!
◆Honestly, I usually don’t like overly difficult games (masocore), but the balance of gameplay and satisfying story made this game amazing.
◆Every boss battle is a nail-biter where you’ve never sure if you’ll win or not, making the gameplay extremely exhilarating and fun.
◆The characters are captivating, and the story keeps you hooked every step of the way. Overall, the game was very satisfying to play.
◆I love how the characters stand out and even the villains aren’t entirely hateable.
◆Personally, this game is a masterpiece. You may die a lot on your first playthrough, but it was very satisfying revisiting every flight and figuring out how to win.
◆I don’t necessarily have a fondness for the developers but the game itself is incredibly enjoyable. I recommend playing it all in one go without long breaks.
◆For those who are struggling with combat, all I have to say is please don’t give up! The ending will make it all worth it and has an irreplaceable sense of achievement.

About the Game
Do You Fear Death, or Do You Crave Power?
The Use of Life is a multi-ending adventure book style RPG that follows Goshe, a young Rabbitfolk whose village is destroyed by a terrible dragon. Having lost his family and friends, Goshe gains tremendous power fueled by hatred of his fallen people, but in exchange, he is left with a body one strike away from death.
Unique Adventure-Book Style Experience
When faced with an enemy, will you fight head-on? Will you flee? Will you talk your way out of it?

With a distinct narrative voice inspired by gamebooks, The Use of Life presents events at every turn, each with multiple approaches to resolution. Sometimes, these events include dice-roll checks reminiscent of tabletop RPGs. Even if you make the same choices, the outcome of those events can vary widely depending on whether you roll a critical failure or a great success.
How you resolve these challenges depends on the stats you’ve chosen to strengthen.
Tense and Rewarding Battles
The game blends the tactical depth of command-based combat with the intensity of QTE-driven action, creating battles filled with both tension and satisfaction.

Thanks to his newfound power, Goshe can now stand toe-to-toe with formidable foes. Yet he remains physically fragile, so much that even one successfully landed blow can easily end his journey.

To survive, players must master the timing of dodging and guarding, avoiding clean hits while planning their moves carefully across three actions per turn. Boss fights are designed to deliver a sense of accomplishment through life-or-death tension. And for casual and fans who prefer a more relaxed experience, an Easy Mode is also available!

Transforming Combat through Various Enhancements
Goshe obtains incredible power through a certain curse. Through his encounters with death, he can gain experience, which can be used to strengthen his own abilities.

Not only will you gain different advantages in battle depending on what abilities you choose to invest in, but the outcome of events outside of battle can also be heavily influenced by your stats.

On top of that, by leveling up and unlocking new levels for the various classes, you can learn a wide variety of Skills and Spells to use in battle.

Swordmaster – Grow stronger the more attacks you dodge, unleashing powerful counter techniques.
Sage – Cast a variety of high-risk, high-reward spells with long incantations.
Swordmage – Combine physical attacks with magical follow-up attacks to create devastating combos.
Curseblade – Specialize in tanking hits; the more you bleed in battle, the stronger you get.