Thank youuu <3 !
I'll never forget when I was playing Pokemon Gold/Silver on the gameboy, the moment they reveal that you get to explore the Kanto region from the previous game: it was mind blowing. Of course they managed to pull it off because it was just towns with 3-4 houses, and yet, by leaving so much to your imagination, I still remember that world to be so big and filled with life!
Right! I haven't gotten to play that game yet, but I heard the impact the game made when it was revealed at the end that there is an extra 8 gyms. Its definitely on my bucket list along with Golden Sun and Sacred Stones
On another note, I remember how big the world felt in Diamond and Pearl, and being really shocked how small everything felt in comparison in Sword and Shield ( However I did find SW/SH's world building and the villains motivation refreshing).
Also Pokémon is notorious for some absolute fantastic post game content, its a shame nowadays that it's not in the base game.