PLAYISM is proud to announce that the newest chapter update for the Kohaku route in The Use of Life, a multi-ending adventure book style RPG by solo developer Daraneko currently in Early Access, is available today, July 15, 2025!
This will be the last major update for the game before it finally leaves Early Access. The next major update will be the one for the full release.
This update makes the game 80% complete, and the endings for the other route are fully implemented and playable as well, making this a meaty Early Access game with a lot of content to sink your teeth into even before the full release. The game is currently at a lower price for Early Access, so now's your chance to try it out if you're even a little interested!
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.
New Chapter in the Kohaku & Veronika Route
In Chapter 2 of the main game, players were faced with a major branching choice: seek out Misha, the Rabbitfolk woman who traveled with Goshe in Chapter 1, or look further into the mysterious winged woman who seems to hold the key to his deadly curse.
While the Misha route has already been completed up to its ending, this new update continues the story down the alternate path toward the winged woman.
If you have a save file that has cleared Chapter 2 of this route, you can jump straight into Chapter 3 with this update.
This path offers a completely different story compared to the previous routes. What was once a straightforward obsession with power and survival begins to shift and evolve into a desire to live. The theme of The Use of Life is interpreted in a whole new light, giving players a fresh and thought-provoking narrative experience.
This route also features new exclusive features to spice up the battles in Chapter 3 including brand new status effects and a fresh enemy mechanic: “Counter” which are QTEs triggered not when dodging, but in response to your attacks!
Explore new dungeons. Face new enemies. Uncover a new side of the story.
The Use of Life
■ Store Links: Steam
■ Developer: Daraneko Games
■ Publisher: PLAYISM
■ Genre: Multi-Ending Adventure Book Style RPG
■ Platform: Steam
■ Release Date: Available in Early Access since May 21, 2022
■ Major Update Release Date: July 15, 2025
■ MSRP: $17.99
■ No. of Players: 1
■ Supported Languages: Japanese, English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese
© Daraneko Games All rights reserved. Licensed to and published by Active Gaming Media Inc.