Nostalgic remake
I really like this remake. The enhanced graphics on the DS make the pokemon graphics bearable. The game is a very simple, linear jrpg; levelling up is simple, and there really isn't too much of a difficulty when trying to figure out what to do next (admittedly, there were two times I had to google on what to do next because I really did not want to tire myself out figuring out where this npc is).
You can power through the game with just one pokemon, however, by the time you get the first 8 badges and beat the elite 4 and champion, you'll want to get a secondary pokemon and maybe a third to help rotate during battles.
The true final boss red was difficult because his pokemon were all in the mid to high 80s. You truly had to grind to beat him.
Overall, I really like the simplistic style of pokemon's rpg elements. A most rudimentary system that has appealed to a lot of people, regardless of age.