I also don't think there's any powers the dev can bestow that feel quite as exhilarating as going exponential in a rogue like. There's also the chance for tension with a build that barely works that's hard to do via dev time.

It's to the point where even if you want replayability in an older title like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you make it into a randomizer and randomize where you get items so sometimes you have to plan out and glitch around the game to obtain things.

Press A when I tell you to press A is going out of style. I think a lot of people really like to chart their own path through an obstacle and modern design gives devs the ability to make really sophisticated obstacles.