>>57042916Ideally they should've put either Bellsprout/Oddish (depending on version) or Tangela out there for Charmander-cucks to catch. Either on that optional route to the West of Viridian where you can fight Blue or in Viridian Forest. Alternatively, Poliwag, Psyduck, or Goldeen would've been fine substitutes if Game Freak wanted to let you have an Old Rod that early.
It's poor game design all around. Gen 1 is legitimately bad, but it was ambitious for its time. Game Freak was an actually small indie studio filled with poor programmers. The only reason they succeeded was because the monster designs in Gen 1 are the best in the industry and the idea of them all being usable is gold. The anime hard carried Gen 1.
