How to encourage cat to actually attack during play and not just stalk?

Hi there! This feels like such a silly problem but alas. Whenever I try to engage my cat in play, he is VERY locked in: Finds a hiding spot, tracks the toy, giant pupils, all the things. The "issue" is that he will literally just do this hunting part indefinitely and even after half an hour or more, never pounce or engage with the toy. Idk - maybe that is okay cat play behavior and I shouldn't be worried? Obviously it still provides a ton of mental stimulation. But also, the primary reason I want him to be more active in play is that he needs to shed some pounds, so I'd love to know any tricks for getting him more engaged. And yes, I do let the toy rest and retreat quite often. He still just watches 👀👀👀👀👀