Well, as with any game, there are always going to be people who don't get it or like it.
I could go on all day about the faults of Iji but they're self-evident to people who have a thinking mind.
Oh ho ho. Not only do you dislike this game, you have it in your head that your views are the only 'right' ones.
You can dislike this game. Good for you if you do.
But don't get a superiority complex. It's safe to say your view isn't the majority in this case.
Why do you think I care about the feelings of pixels on my screen? You know what, I don't.
And why can't a game that has characters with depth also be entertaining? And why can't that be entertaining in and of itself?
In fact you're implying that Ultimortal is using his game as a medium to convey his moral viewpoints, rather than as a way to entertain the player.
Implying? If you didn't realise that Iji was a moralistic game, then you really missed the whole point. But the point I'm trying to make is that 'conveying moral viewpoints' and 'entertaining the player' aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, that tends to be the basis for a fair chunk of media.
In the end it boils down to the fact that not everyone is looking for the same thing in a game. Some people like games to have depth and story, some people prefer simple action. Most people like to play both types of games.
I'll admit that most people probably wouldn't find Iji that great if the story was completely cut out. But saying that that is evidence of bad design is missing the point: the main point of the game
is the story. The engine isn't bad. On its own it wouldn't be a great experience. But it isn't on its own, and that's the point.
And most importantly: sneering about how 'thinking people' would hate a game that has received as good a reception on the web as Iji doesn't look good. It makes you look bad.