Clever game design

[Koh]

Gors, I think you're mixing clever and innovative. Innovative requires the thing to bring something new to the market (like say, Portal, but not Pokemon Go, since Go is just a reskin and gutted version of Ingress, and also not Minecraft since it's Infiniminer with more blocks). To be clever could just require the devs make interesting design choices within their chosen mechanics, limitations or level designs.

For example, Fairune on mobile. Often to progress, you have to play close attention to your surroundings and notice oddities to interact with, or just think outside the box to progress.
Here: https://youtu.be/gg4OxN4GqbI?t=315 The tiles lead you to that area, but also if you play close attention, the tree is missing a stump.
Here: https://youtu.be/gg4OxN4GqbI?t=519 Only rock on the screen, something has to happen.
Here: https://youtu.be/gg4OxN4GqbI?t=1139 We can walk behind tall things. Is there something there? Secret Found!
Here: https://youtu.be/_PYy3j8cx_I?t=189 This keeps happening, but we can't use them yet. What purpose do they have?
Here: https://youtu.be/_PYy3j8cx_I?t=938 Hint hint...