There have been no promises by YanDev, though he has expressed desired goals to meet that he ultimately did not. Even if he had, there is never a guarantee in game development that it will happen, anything can go wrong at any time and that can delay it for any length of time, the actual length being a case by case basis that depends entirely on the combined skill of the dev, which is admittedly not very high for YanDev, and the severity of the issue. I'm not sure what you are talking about on useless mechanics, everything that isn't an easter egg has a use. If you get caught carrying something that is too large to hide, like a body, you get a reputation loss and/or a near instant game over if the student council, the delinquents, or a teacher sees you. That's why the saw is there to dismember bodies so you can hide them in a portable instrument case, that's why there are now lockers to hide bodies in, that's why there is a sneaking mechanic, so you don't get caught. SNAP mode allows you to continue even if caught under certain conditions, murdering every person in reach, then senpai, then yourself. The ability to kidnap and torture allows you to arm a mind slave and she will then go kill the assigned target for you, then herself, keeping you out of suspicion when the police investigate. The sanity mechanic serves as a balance so the player can't just go on a murder spree as they wish with no consequences, allowing NPCs more time to notify the police as your murders get more violent and causing you to eventually auto murder anyone in reach like the SNAP mechanic. It also serves as a way to arouse suspicion in NPCs that there is a crazed serial killer on the loose. The mood mechanic serves a similar purpose, putting all NPCs on guard as mood decreases. The council itself serves a purpose as they make the possibility of instant game over even more of a threat with their pepper spray mechanic, though that still needs a bit of an explanation as most schools, all really, would not allow pepper spray for anyone but cops. The clothing swap mechanic allows you to clean yourself off so you aren't bloody as it will get you caught if you are. You will also arouse suspicion if you walk around all bloody unless you are wearing the painter's smock, which requires being a member of the art club. The gaming club allows you to further raise your stats. The sports club allows you to carry sports equipment without suspicion. The music club allows you to access the instrument case to store dead bodies for secret transportation to the incinerator. The science club gives you access to a robot that can clean blood puddles far more efficiantly than you with a mop. The occult club allows you to summon demons that can give you powers to help eliminate your targets. The gardening club gives you access to the shed, which has the saw, and a wood chipper to disintegrate body parts. This is also how you get gasoline to set people on fire. I could go on about how useful every mechanic is, but I really don't want to be typing all day.