I was hesitant to try cleated pedals & shoes for a long time. but when I tried them, I liked them. road bike has them. the hybrid & MTB do not. I have no plans to remove them from the road bike until winter comes
I use large MTB pedals on my road bike, w/ cleats on just 1 side. recently I took a trip & had to ride a handful of miles in closed toe sandals, using the flat side of the pedals. I had to remind myself while riding. but there were no issues. later, when I went for a legit ride, I put on my cleated shoes. I do prefer to have some foot retention such as mini clips aka 1/2 clips (no straps). just used to them I guess
experimented w/ toe clip covers this past winter & set up some legit toeclips w/ straps (not tight). didn't care for trying to wiggle my feet into the whole setup. 1/2 clips w/ waterproof, winter shoes is easy peasy
I think a lot of it is personal choice. who knows, you might enjoy trying cleated pedals/shoes for a while. but as with anything new, there are options to consider. diff. features & benefits & the expense. the whole project of trying them, might be too big of an investment in time, energy & money, to be worth it. I got started w/ used pedals & then got sucked it after that, buying other pedals & I'm on my 2nd pair of shoes, for comfort reasons