the impression that i get from people who don't like "clunky" games is that they don't like it when games are different than their predisposed idea of what "good" and "modern" game feel actually feels like; when they have to learn the nuances of a game and push the control format and character control in order to achieve mastery.
"clunky" is not bad design. like all video games, any type of design can work as long as the levels are well designed within the constraints of the "clunk".
to write off a game because it's "clunky" is doing yourself a disservice and preventing yourself from enjoying, frankly, some of the best games ever made
Furthermore, """clunkyness""" is so often perceived as an unquestionable negative that its lead to the type of homogenization of character control we see today in mainstream games.
This both severely limits design space AND makes games increasingly reliant on prerequisite knowledge, making those without that prior experience struggle with modern control schemes.
