I mean, just look at the name, for starters.
Yeah the name isn't very good. And yeah the base engine is RPG maker (re the other comment here).
But this is kinda my original point. Making a game with a good name, or a different engine, isn't going to mean it's successful. You can always point out something in terms of "well it's clearly failed because X". Hell, people even say the Unity3D logo scares them off. But people really like that game. They like it as much as they like Stardew Valley. And it's probably sold less than 0.1% as much.
And that's just the first game I saw on the list.
It's like rotten tomatoes. 2001: A Space Odyssey [0] has 93% on RT, Pick of the Litter has 100%. I'm sure Pick of the Litter is a fine film, but clearly there's a sense in which it's a lesser movie compared to 2001 by general consensus, despite what the percentages would indicate. Now the case of stardew valley and "the other farming simulators on steam" is not so extreme but that's what I'm getting at.
[0] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1000085_2001_a_space_odysse...?
You may be right that a good name or a different engine won't save a game, but I don't think the game you chose as your point is one to demonstrate that.
> But people really like that game.
It seems most people haven't played it.
And there are often game with, say, awful graphics, that are awesome to play. It happens. That doesn't mean you should bank on it.
