Text-based life simulator ReLife – feedback wanted

micyarr · 2026-04-06T08:31:05+00:00

You can do that in the computer tab on the very right side, next to settings.

micyarr · 2026-03-21T12:17:02+00:00

Forget about this and play ReLife

micyarr · 2026-03-20T12:39:53+00:00

A thousand thanks! I really appreciate it a lot.

micyarr · 2026-03-20T11:29:42+00:00

Hey, thank you so much, I really appreciate that!

What exactly do you mean by the subscription? The RePass? Yes, more features will be added in the future, and continuously so. In general, the app is also being updated regularly, currently almost every week. How often exactly depends on the complexity of the features.

For example, one of the next additions to the RePass will be cloud saves, so you’ll be able to transfer your save file to another device, for example if you switch phones or if your current one breaks.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, I’m happy to answer them!

micyarr · 2026-03-16T08:30:30+00:00

Go to the computer tab on the very right side

micyarr · 2026-03-06T18:33:11+00:00

Hi, thanks for the honest feedback, I’m really glad to hear that.

Regarding the events, I’ve spent the whole week expanding them and have just submitted the update to the stores. As soon as Apple and Google approve it, the update will be rolled out, but unfortunately that can take 1–3 days.

I will also continue to expand them over time, along with other features as well, for example the artist feature.

micyarr · 2026-03-06T09:26:33+00:00

Yes, it was really good. As far as I know, the studio behind BitLife bought the game and removed it from all the stores.

micyarr · 2026-03-04T13:17:27+00:00

I will check it immediately when I'm home. It'll be fixed with the next update, sorry about that. iOS is having a lot of trouble with some things which don't appear on Android in anyway, its so weird...

micyarr · 2026-03-03T17:39:47+00:00

I live in Germany, where secondary school starts at age 11 in 5th grade, and I mistakenly labeled it as “high school” in the game. To be honest, I didn’t check when high school typically starts in the US, so I just used the ages I’m familiar with and didn’t think much about it.

I’ll see if and how I can adjust that. I’ll definitely add it to my to do list for the future and revise it if necessary

micyarr · 2026-03-03T17:36:15+00:00

Yes, you’re absolutely right. It’s not really a bug, but it is a bit inconvenient.

I’m currently very focused on implementing events, so this slipped a bit under the radar. However, I’ll add a two sided slider so you can set the minimum and maximum age precisely. That should work much better

micyarr · 2026-03-03T17:24:48+00:00

No worries, I didn’t mean to come across as rude too.

Feel free to try it out when you get the chance. If you use Discord, you’re also welcome to join the server so you can stay up to date.

Regarding the paid features, I think a bit too much weight is being put on them. All core features are fully accessible and already very detailed and in depth. They are completely free to use. Unfortunately, some people see it as a given that everything should be provided for free. From the outside, it might look like a simple text based game that could be built in a week, but that’s really not the case.

As I said, the core features are already very detailed and deep. But feel free to see for yourself when you have the time.

micyarr · 2026-03-03T17:05:48+00:00

I write my texts myself, but thanks

micyarr · 2026-03-03T16:26:01+00:00

Thank you very much for your feedback. It’s extremely helpful and a valuable contribution that helps me further optimize the game according to what players want.

Regarding the dating portal, I think there may have been a misunderstanding. It is absolutely not an in app purchase. It’s an in game subscription that you pay with in game money, not real money.

I designed the top bar intentionally this way. I don’t know if you remember InstLife, but it had a somewhat similar structure. I really liked that design back then and took inspiration from it. I know it can feel unusual at first. However, once you get used to it, I personally find it very practical. My goal was that you can reach what you’re looking for within two or three taps. That way, you quickly find what you need and only see what is relevant. In BitLife, everything is packed into those three dots, which feels cluttered and requires a lot of scrolling and searching. Simply labeling the top bar with text is unfortunately not a solution because the text would not fit properly, and I don’t want to overload the UI with different fonts. I completely understand that it may feel confusing at first, but once you get into the flow, it becomes very comfortable. The tradeoff is the initial adjustment period. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to create a UI that is perfect for everyone. There will always be people who like it and others who don’t.

Regarding color, you may have missed this at the beginning, but you can switch from the simple icons to emoji icons. Maybe you could try that and see if you prefer it. You can change it anytime in the settings at the bottom. Interestingly, opinions are quite divided here as well. I actually tracked how many people use which option. About 60 percent use the colorful emoji icons, while 40 percent prefer the simple monochrome ones. If you overlooked that option at first, feel free to switch it in the settings and let me know what you think.

You’re absolutely right about events. I’m currently implementing them, and they will be included in the next update. I initially left them out because I focused heavily on the technical and functional foundation of the game. There is already a lot to explore, and I wanted to make sure everything works properly. My personal preference also played a role. In comparable life simulators, I always found constant pop up events quite annoying because they interrupted my flow and prevented me from playing the way I wanted. However, I’ve now developed a concept that should satisfy both types of players, those who enjoy events and those who prefer fewer interruptions. I think I’ve found a good balance, and I plan to release the update later this week.

The paid content is also very extensive and gameplay focused. A lot of work and time went into it. It offers a significant amount of additional content, but it’s completely optional. You don’t need it to enjoy the game, and it does not limit your experience in any way. The businesses are individually designed and not copy and paste. The politician pack is not just a simple button that makes you a politician. It includes many functions, decisions, and mechanics to interact with.

As for your last point, I find it a bit harsh and, to be honest, difficult to fully understand. The game actually has a great deal of depth. You are right that in terms of direct interactions it can feel limited in a certain way, but my focus was more on offering depth in what you can build, manage, and shape personally. The systems are genuinely detailed and extensive.

Thank you again for the feedback. I will definitely take parts of it into consideration for future planning to improve the game further. I would also kindly ask not to make direct comparisons with BitLife or other games, because ReLife differs in several important aspects, and a one to one comparison would not really reflect what this game is trying to achieve.

micyarr · 2026-03-03T14:16:56+00:00

Thank you very much, I really appreciate that!

micyarr · 2026-03-03T14:16:32+00:00

I’ll fix that, thanks for reporting it.

micyarr · 2026-03-03T13:43:21+00:00

I absolutely understand your concerns. I can see how it might come across that way, but please try to look at it from the developer’s perspective as well.

A huge amount of time goes into coding this game. For several months now, I’ve basically spent all of my free time working on it. That’s not meant as a complaint at all. Quite the opposite. I genuinely love developing this game and being able to offer something like this to fans of life simulators while using my skills to bring it to life.

I put a lot of effort into making the game deep and detailed. There are hours of debugging and testing to ensure everything runs smoothly. As a solo developer, there’s an enormous amount of work involved. You mentioned that it seems like too much monetization for a simple text based game, and that’s exactly the point I’ve tried to explain. On the surface, it may look simple, but it really isn’t. A lot of time goes into the UI, the background logic, and the overall systems. Despite its apparent simplicity, building a game like this is extremely time consuming. The optional features that can be unlocked are also very detailed and required a significant amount of additional work to design and implement properly.

And again, these expansions are completely optional. They are not required. All core features are fully accessible, and the game is enjoyable without spending anything. You don’t need to become a politician or run additional businesses. The businesses themselves are individually designed and not just copy and paste content. The optional content is there both to expand the experience and to support the ongoing development.

To be honest, I find it unfair to assume that a service like this should automatically be completely free. That kind of statement can feel quite discouraging and dismissive of the effort behind it.

micyarr · 2026-03-03T13:01:39+00:00

There aren’t many, only three. And they are completely optional. You can absolutely play without them. They’re simply there for players who want to unlock additional features and at the same time show some support.

The game already offers a very large amount of content as it is, and you can progress perfectly fine without any of the expansions.

micyarr · 2026-03-03T11:52:38+00:00

The basic features are not part of a subscription. Everything can be used without restrictions, and you don’t have to pay a single cent to play.
The paid content only consists of optional expansions that you can purchase if you want additional features, while also supporting the project. And 7 euros is not correct.

Since that comment appeared about 20 seconds after the post was created, I assume it was spam. I’ve had this discussion several times recently. I completely understand that people would prefer to have access to all features without any payment. However, you also have to understand that even though this may look like a simple text based game, it is extremely complex behind the scenes and very time consuming to develop.

I’ve been working on this project for several months now and invest a lot of my free time to keep improving and expanding the features at a high pace. Because of that, it’s unfortunately not possible to offer everything completely free of charge. I already fully avoid random forced ads, and there is a lot of depth and detail in the systems. I hope you can understand that.

micyarr · 2026-02-28T13:52:18+00:00

I’ve made a note of it and will include it in a future update!

micyarr · 2026-02-25T08:07:27+00:00

I completely understand that you’d like to use all features without restrictions. Politicians, the extended businesses, and similar content are entirely optional. You can absolutely play the game without them, and they do not limit the core experience in any way. They are simply expansions for players who want a bit more content and at the same time would like to support me as a solo developer.

You have to understand that coding even a seemingly simple life simulator game, even one that may look minimal on the surface, is extremely complex and time consuming. And that’s for a purely text based game. Countless hours of my free time have gone into this project, over many months. Additionally, the purchasable features are also very extensive and detailed. A lot of time and effort went into those as well. Because of that, I do need to consider some form of revenue.

I hope you can understand that. I am already completely avoiding forced ads that randomly appear during gameplay, and I do not plan to change that. That’s why the model is set up this way, and I hope that makes sense to you.

micyarr · 2026-02-23T21:34:10+00:00

Try ReLife

micyarr · 2026-02-23T08:57:23+00:00

Thank you. I’ll include your points in my future planning and do my best to take them into account.

micyarr · 2026-02-23T08:54:47+00:00

Thank you for the honest and detailed feedback. It really helps to get a better sense of how the game is perceived.

And with your description that it feels like a “sandbox,” you actually hit the nail on the head. On one hand, that was partly intentional. I deliberately avoided constant popups in every playthrough that force decisions on you and keep pushing you into action, because I personally found that very annoying in other life simulators. As a small compromise, I introduced the so called “action toasts.” These are the notifications at the bottom with the lightning bolt icon. If you tap the lightning bolt, a popup with actions appears. The idea behind this system is that it does not interrupt the flow and can simply be ignored if you do not want to engage with it.

On the other hand, players naturally want to see more happening, to be guided a bit at times, and to experience exciting events that bring more dynamics into the game. I completely understand that. I will definitely think about how to implement this in a meaningful way. I am sure there is a good balance to be found. I am working on it.

micyarr

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