I would maybe suggest modding your defence to a high level, unlocking defence perks, and spamming block. The combat certainly becomes more manageable as you level up, unless you’re simply fighting a group of people by yourself. Then it never gets easier.
I don’t know about this, but only because Steam has a very unique position in their market. Lots of intense loyalists for Steam means long-term projects yield hype and reputation.
For example, the Steam Deck was a high cost high impact long-term project, and it wasn’t even in the interest of leading the handheld gaming market. It still brought them a lot of good press, and it also spearheaded the adoption of handheld gaming PCs - whether running SteamOS, Windows, or other linux distros - most of which are using Steam as the primary gaming library.
They just know that line going up steadily is more valuable than line going up exponentially until people get sick of your shit.
If you like Jak, you’ll have a blast with Ratchet and Clank. Lots of good ol action platforming.
Klonoa 2 and Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom might also be worth looking into. I specifically remember finding tons of shortcuts in SBBB that were probably unintended, but that game also got a remaster in the last few years.