@aeva @halcy in fact i think the primary reason to play a typical western AAA game is to experience a setpiece with detailed realism, and then only after that come the mechanics, how you actually spend your time there, and they feel kind of bolted on.
compare this to e.g. super mario 3d world, where being able to parse the scene quickly is crucial to a good experience, and so all visual design flows around this goal of enabling the mechanics.