As somebody that has always played 45 person tournaments, where you tend to play with 8 or 9 players per table all the way to the final table, these 18 and 27 person tournaments really make a refreshing change.
You have to keep adjusting your play as the number of players at the table keeps changing quite rapidly, which to me makes it feel a little less like grinding.
I have also started playing the 90 person knockout tournaments, which again play somewhat differently to the tight 45 person tournaments.