For context, I was never a big Gen 2 fan, I thought it was fine at best and boring at worst, each significant milestone being grind after grind, but playing it with Chikorita as my starter for the first time since my first time playing Silver as a kid, I’ve been enjoying the game more than I ever have I think.

It’s moveset feels so restrictive at first, but given all the defensive and recovery moves it gets, it can tank it’s way through some messy situations in ways that I would normally have spent time just grinding to overcome. The combination of Synthesis, Poisonpowder, and Reflect, then coupled with physical or special Grass move depending on what I’m needing. It’s great and I love the way it encourages me to find compliments for it.

So now I’ve ended up trying out a number of Pokémon I’d always kinda blown off before. Insomnia Noctowl having Confusion was an option I never knew I had for Morty, Stantler Stomps pull out a surprising amount of damage. Reflect, Light Screen, Safeguard, U-turn Ledian to give more fragile damage dealers a safer switch in (playing Set).

And now because I’m trying out more Pokémon, I end up spending more real time with the game, so the time of day or day of the week events have been something I’ve been able to engage with in ways that I didn’t before when running Typhlosion to eventually steamroll everything in its path; and to be clear, Typhlosion is most definitely my favorite Johto starter still. I’ve got a bunch of apriballs now too and may just try to send them up to Home once I’m done.

I’ve been playing a lot of Scarlet and Violet, and while I like that game a lot for what it is, HGSS having the more single player RPG experience has been refreshing and I’ve developed much more of an appreciation for it on its own terms.