Sure, but you gotta understand that the creator makes $2,900 a month on Patreon right now, and he made way more back then, reaching a peak of $10,000/month(it reached higher). People are just sad about the lack of updates because it’s a genuinely amazing game.
And trust me, the comments here on Itch are pretty tame compared to what everyone is saying on F95zone. Over there, they are completely flaming him for good reasons: the updates are incredibly slow, he could have hired people to help him speed up production, and he has actually refused multiple people who offered to help him.
Regarding your third paragraph, no, these are not pointless complaints. The game's development actually sped up after more people started complaining about the lack of progress. The dev had to finally update his devlogs after a four-year hiatus just to keep people informed. Don’t get me wrong, I honestly don’t care if the game releases next year or in 2050, because I know I’m still going to play it.
But don’t just blindly defend someone’s actions from criticism when there are two sides to every coin, and the critics actually raise valid points. Reading the discussions on F95 opened my mind to this. While many are just trolls hating, some actually raise good points that help you understand the situation. Komisari is incredibly slow, and that is a fact. And the players desperately want the update, which is also a fact. So even if he is hardworking and attentive, he can't avoid criticism when his slow pace shows in his work.
I love this game, I’m just another player hoping for an update, and I support Komisari despite how slow and meticulous he is. But we also have to address his shortcomings, because when a game is this loved, the community desperately wants to see it grow. It’s hard to watch a project you care about move at a snail’s pace. Naturally, that excitement turns into frustration and criticism (and for some, even anger) when the wait gets too long.