I've been saying for a while now that we're just beyond the world of grindy, random encounters. The early games weren't fun because of the dozens of zubats we had to deal with. They weren't even "harder" for these reasons, despite the absurd opinions you'll stumble across online. Remembering to stock up on repels isn't really a skill check. Completing the set challenges that you are aware of and planning around then is fun. Having to smash "A" through random encounters and opening the menu to hit a Fresh Water every once in a while is not.