I always repeat the negative talking points of gen 2, specifically the level curve meme, but I'm doing a Pokemon Gold playthrough now for the first time in a decade. And yes, the level curve is terrible and my team is always underleveled. But you know what? This literally makes the game more fun. Having to go toe to toe with gym leaders that have much stronger Pokemon than me makes the game way more exciting; I have to be more creative with my team, movesets, and battle decisions. I haven't grinded at all and my team is consistently ~5-10 levels under major battles, and combined with playing on set mode, this is the most fun I've had in a mainline game in awhile.