I've been revisiting anno 2205, infamously the ugly duckling of the Anno series of RTS games. I don't mind so much the fact that it's different, lacks customisation and random map generation - I'm bothered because the game is so slow to progress through on challenge settings, and it feels like a game designed just to artificially waste your time; in other anno games, you can always pull tricks to dig yourself out of economic crisis - selling off assets and surplus goods, completing quests for other parties, or taking loans. 2205 is very very confined in terms of what you can do to financially recover in the early game and forces you into a lot of military events.
I've always somewhat agreed. I've played elden ring and some DS 3. I think the world design is very fun, and most fights individually can be fun. But at the end of the day every boss fight is a janky rhythm game that gets longer and longer.
I see the appeal, but the most I do like once a month is jump in Elden Ring for an hour or two where I bumble around exploring or upgrading my stuff, find a boss fight, and just learn the funny Osu!-like pattern to beat it. It never leaves me mesmerized or champing at the bit for more like I've seen some of my friends get obsessed with it.