Yes, it gets about 1000% better. I had the same experience in the beginning and was thinking "wtf is this game? It's so clunky and I can barely do anything properly." But if you stick with it you slowly realize that's an intended feature that slowly melts away early-mid game. You're meant to start off a literal peasant and grow into something more. And that growth also comes with actual proficiency in the game's systems - be it sneaking, crafting, rizzing it up, or fighting. It was a slog at the beginning but I ended up putting many hours into that game with like three or four play throughs to try different play styles. Once you level some of the stats I also found it could actually be super relaxing game where you can literally just stroll through the forest, explore, and have a chill time. In addition to, you know, going into war in full plate to slice and bonk some baddies.
Are airplanes just supermarines?
Sounds like you've got some classics lined up but I'd suggest throwing in some more casual stuff too, especially if you're losing interest in the long-form, story-based games. Something like excite bike or crazy taxi or road rash (I'm partial to old racers) or anything where you just pick it up, play a few rounds and move on. Think arcade style.
I made a favorites list in retroarch and cycle through it. I'll play the story-based classics too but sometimes it's difficult to get invested with dated graphics and sound. The pick-up-and-go games I find more accessible as I'm getting older.
Paranoia Agent just cause I don't see it listed here yet.
Ninja Scroll (the movie is much better than series imo).
-hops on nix soapbox- As someone currently trying to set up a NixOS server, your bullet point descriptions of it are incorrect except maybe the last 2. You're just describing Arch.
In fact Nix tolerates user error extremely well and arguably makes every effort to be error-proof. A wrong user config means it flat out won't compile and just revert to the past working config.
I agree it's a pain - at first - and requires a strong base knowledge of how Linux in general works. -hops off-
Chrno Crusade sorta I guess. You'll tend to see more Catholic motifs than Christian in anime. Even then it's not usually explicitly using Christian or Catholic themes, more just aesthetics.
Vagrant Story and Parasite Eve
Played them as demos back when that was a thing and I didn't get why there's spheres popping up making battle stop (semi-turned based combat) and why there's a dude named Ashley.
Tried again a couple years later after playing FF7, connecting that they were all by squaresoft, and it all made sense. Absolutely became a couple of my favorites.
It's old by now but I'll chime in with Cardcaptor Sakura.. I enjoyed that as a kid at a similar age.
Just like change your perspective man. You're looking up into the gooch of the molecule bro.