A lot of creators are just going to try what's been popular in the past, especially if it's a source of income. The same argument can be made in music where most hits are now specifically written with a 1-5-6-4 chord progression or one of its variants as these are the most 'catchy' and...
I thought this would end up being abandoned. It's been so long that I will have to play through from the start to get reacquainted with the characters.
I suppose both have their own appeal. I prefer something with a little grind as long as it's not repetitive (building up stats forever to unlock progress). Things that I find annoying are sandbox games where the mechanics never quite work or are too finicky and you get stuck and unable to...