Good thing i haven't said the game is obsolete, then. What i actually said was that's there's nothing about it that sets it apart in positive manner. Which means that, between mediocre writing and art style which is acquired taste the claim how this is "a good game compared to others" doesn't have much leg to stand on -- it's not "good game compared to others" but "a game like many others". So this isn't really a good explanation for continuous, excessive level of funding it receives.
There's really not that much else on offer. Sure, there are ton of japanese 2D VNs and RPGM-games (which many people grow tired of after some time) but next to these, there really aren't many 2D games which offer a similar overall quality. Sure, it's subjective, but even if you read through the last 1000 pages of shit talk, you'll really only find very, very few people who complain about the quality. That does say something.
So yeah, SS is indeed one of the best non-anime art 2D games on offer right now. I mean, if you can actually name a few which are way better, I'd be happy to get suggestions. I'd almost certainly play them sooner or later.