I once participated in a story-oriented game, which overemphasized narrative in the early stage, resulting in boring gameplay. When adding mechanisms later, I found that the system was difficult to embed into the original story, and I was in a dilemma.

I think you've got to figure out how to tell a story in a way that doesn't slow down the pacing too badly, or make the player feel railroaded.

That's not deprioritizing story per se, but it does require approaching it from a different angle.

I think that's the wrong way to think about it. Prioritizing gameplay or story does not mean that the other needs to be an afterthought. It means that the other needs to support the thing you prioritize.

If the game is story-oriented, that doesn't mean you should settle for boring gameplay. It means that the gameplay, instead of being a fun activity of its own, should instead be a narrative tool for immersing the player in the game's universe, building attachment to the characters, and making them care about the plot. Players shouldn't think "I, the player, need to solve this stupid puzzle so I can see how the hero enters the castle and saves the princess". They should think "I, the hero, must solve this puzzle in order to enter the castle and save the princess". The puzzle may still be stupid, but they player shouldn't feel that it's just something that holds them from continuing the story.

Similarly - if the game is gameplay-oriented that doesn't mean the story should be boring. The story should provide meaning to the gameplay - prioritizing the gameplay simply means that the story can get stupid in order to explain some weird elements of the gameplay. Collectibles are a good example - finding them is a gameplay mechanic. The reason why you need to find them is usually not that important to the story - if it was a movie they'd be omitted, or, if it's a movie based on the game, it may show one item of one of the collectibles as a tribute.But a good game should still try to make that subplot interesting, make the player want to find out exactly what happens when it finishes a collection - and preferably not just show a wall of text that'd just be skipped. The story is still in support role here - doesn't mean it needs to be neglected.

I'm no expert, but I believe that how much story matters depends on the game. You could easily make a platformer with next to no story. You can't do that for a visual novel kind of game. Gameplay though, will always be an important part of a game. Story for any game can be found online no problem but the gameplay itself can only truly be enjoyed by playing it. most games who are seen as only being good in areas outside of gameplay will usually have people watch videos of it instead of playing it since they don't have to bother with boring or annoying mechanics.

When making a game in general, I feel that the game idea and gameplay should be the first thing to focus on. Even in a story-oriented game like what you were participating in, knowing how the game will progress or if it works to begin with is more important. You probably shouldn't finish the whole of gameplay and complete every mechanic before starting the story if you want it to be a big part of the game from the get-go, so  having some outline for the story and knowing how much it will tie in with gameplay might be a good way to go about it.

the sensible trick is to figure out the gameplay first and design the story around it 
but it's a lot harder than it sounds:
usually you either have gameplay that is good but very abstract
or some grand epic story that is difficult to break down into levels or bosses 🤔
so my advice is not to worry about perfect balance -
be ready to compromise either if it makes the game more entertaining
and getting it right first certainly won't work - it takes a lot of iteration 
and the end result is hardly ever what you had in mind at the start anyway 🤔

For most players, gameplay is the foundation. If the mechanics aren’t fun or responsive, even the best story can’t save the experience. That’s why game like Tetris or Celeste are so impactful — tight gameplay keeps people coming back.

That said, a strong story can elevate gameplay to something truly memorable. Think of The Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption 2 — the narrative adds emotional weight to every decision.

The best balance usually happens when the story is told through gameplay , not just cutscenes. Let the player feel the story by interacting with it — like in Inside, Hollow Knight, or Journey.

So for me:
✅ Prioritize gameplay first to make sure it’s fun
✅ Then weave story elements into the mechanics, world, and progression
That’s where real immersion lives.

Curious to hear what others lean toward — especially devs working on indie or mobile titles.