It can be fun until you realize that you're coerced into certain strategies in order to win (mainly spamming campuses). I'm behind in science in every game because you basically have to build nothing but campuses - every other 'choice' of district is totally suboptimal compared to the campus.
Like playing on continents as the very powerful Gran Colombians, enjoying building up an empire and then towards the late game Mansa Musa has four times your science and breezes to a science victory. And there's nothing you can do about it. A lot of wasted hours
Here are a couple of screenshots, both on Deity, standard size&speed Continents&Islands maps, Ironman style with 0 reloads.
Diplo win t251, after having 'spammed' 3 campuses, while at late game war with Korea and her GDRs, countered with Field Gun Corps and 1 Battleship from a GA, and Diggers for city defence strength. Korea is like 20 techs or so ahead of me. So what? My Statue of Liberty vaporized all their GDRs with her torch:
Also, screw entertainment, I like my harbours
This one has C&M mode enabled, the only one, t269 CV with Catherine the Magnificence, who despised school and spammed 0 campuses. She also had an isolated start on an own continent, built no corporations and products, and still preferred harbours to TDs. I really like habours

Court Festivals carried the game. They'd've probably carried it sooner, if not for the isolation and certain Gorgo, who got out of control a little bit. 0 wars. Friendships with all except 1. And I'm not even last in science.
Are you sure the guiding rails you see aren't built in your head by you?