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Gen 7 was when the simplification of routes became more obvious and minimal dungeons/puzzles even compared to Kalos. Gen 8 double downed on both of these. There's still a few gems here and there but Alola and Galar are indisputably a move towards more compact regions with additional childproofing. Can't have kids getting lost in caves and dropping your game anymore.
Older regions like Hoenn aren't the pinnacle of route design, but they have more gems, such as routes 119 and 120, and plenty of caves and ways to go off the beaten path.
