Example; the Legend of Zelda: BotW and TotK weapon degradation system. At first I was annoyed at it, but once I stopped caring about my “favorite weapon” I really started to enjoy the system. I think it lends really well to the sandbox nature of the game and it itches that resourcefulness nature inside me.
Yeah, I stopped reading The Two Towers halfway through when it switched to Frodo’s and Sam’s perspective and I knew it’d just be a slog to get through.
Yea - the endless stair case is what I think of whenever I recall Tolkien’s writing style.