Honestly… I would say that the game fits with the theme of the original post, and explaining it would ruin the magic.

I will say that not only do the mechanics change based on the story, but there is an entire asynchronous online system where users help other users (that they will never see or meet in game) to construct be infrastructure to make travel for others (they will never see or meet) easier.

Then those mechanics feed back into the actual story. It’s kind of wild.

I know it’s a divisive game, but I will say it’s a masterpiece imo. Even if only for those mechanics.

And yes, the controls change based on how the load you’re carrying is balanced. I believe the definitive way to play is the Definitive Edition on PS5 with the DualSense controller since the adaptive triggers become harder to press as your load increases.