Exanima is a special kind of gem that comes only once in a million games. The combat takes some thinking and some experimentation, and once the idea of "oh, so this is how this works!" clicks in one's head, the gameplay is a pleasure fest. The mood and motifs rule; the design and art is immersive and emotionally moving; the soundtrack glues the visuals together greatly and the game runs, looks and feels superb.

The game has been, and continues to be, criticized for things like the time it has been in Early Access; the features that the developers have planned (previous promises and project "scopecreep"); the speed at which updates come out, and other bits of drama that disappointed game players, pretending like they understand even an ounce of game development, like to regurgitate.

Despite this, Exanima maintains a cult status with fans who will ride with this game until they are buried in their graves. I did not buy Exanima; a friend gifted it to me and told me to play "one of the best games [he] ever played." I understand him now, and the developers certainly understand him. They know their audience, and they have firm control over what they want to be and where they wish to go, mechanically and in spirit.

While some of the criticism, especially when talking about development time, is valid and should be considered, I love Exanima. I hold it as one of the greatest games I have ever played. I find it hard to scrutinize this game for anything bigger than development speed, and that is hard to argue given the context of development and the team's size.

I'm here for the long run, for Exanima and for Sui Generis. Build it, and they will come.