>>725162848
>I remember playing the precursor to Misery, "I Work Alone," quite a bit but can't remember what it even changed other than minimal UI and resource scarcity
Yeah, IWA was still pretty basic.
Misery 1 wasn't too far off from IWA's vibes, but 2 took things to extreme.

>when Misery came out I thought it was overwrought and looked like shit
It is technically an overhaul, yes. It changes every detail, sans the story.