Yeah there are a couple of r/pokemon threads reacting to this interview. I feel like it's different for us though. Judging by the fact that most of Smogon has decent spelling and grammar, we're among the older demographic of Pokemon players, who probably played the original games. I remember being stuck so many times - trying to save Silph, finding the stupid Gold Teeth and Surf, or getting through Rock Tunnel. They didn't have helpful characters making sure you have everything you need to progress and your rival was a jerk. But were those just badly thought out design decisions, or were they intended to increase game difficulty? Every subsequent generation has made the game a little easier, but that also makes the game more streamlined, so maybe it's not *just* about catering to younger players.
However ORAS definitely took it a little too far. The main story was a breeze and the Delta Episode was tedious, but straightforward. However, for lack of Frontier and gym rematches, I think that's actually more laziness and time constraint. First of all, if they could replicate Maison in Hoenn, why couldn't they have Chateau in Hoenn also? Their contrived reasons for the Battle Chatelaines touring Hoenn was also so disappointing. I would've happily traded away Lisia and Aarune just to have Frontier Brain cameos. Like, they don't even need to fight me. Just cameos. Just *one* cameo. And no, Delinquent Lucy doesn't count since she didn't even get her own sprite.
BF was my biggest regret for ORAS, with trainer customization a distant second. If these two had been implemented, it would been the perfect game for me, similar to how I felt about Crystal many years ago.
