Anything from Leader Games and illustrated by Kyle Ferrin (Root, Oath, Fort...) feels like cheating but still, I absolutely adore their art style
Everdell, Photosynthesis, Parks, look nice as well
I also bought an updated edition of Costa Ruana just because of the illustrations: https://www.pamwishbow.com/client-work/project-four-yjynj-pafyx
I agree and I think that dynamic is definitely at play but it is eclipsed by the immediately evident truth that the digital game is as much a genuine love letter to birds wearing the disguise of an awesome strategy game as the board game itself.
A love letter is a love letter, the details of what medium the letter is written in doesn't matter, and what better crush to write a love letter to than the birds bursting wild and free into even the most terraformed artificial human environments.
.....Do you think you could teach a crow to play wingspan?