it doesnt need a hard mode, ppl only called for it because they started making the pokemon games easier than they already were. Games also are/were about challenges, whether fair or unfair every old game created in history was about competition/puzzles/ability to lose. Super easy games are extremely new, even 'chill/relaxing' sims games new and old have challenge/ability to lose with some complexity/resistance.

also pokemon added hard mode before. but it was on one of their best games that sold poorly, but now internet hype and 90s kids grown up having jobs to now support/buy into hype/pokemon/video game stuff they experienced in their childhoods, pokemon then blew up again with x and y in 2013 right after pokemons best game unfortunately.

here and there for reasons like casualized franchises, less content/less quality, bad translations/localizations,

back logs are huge though, good games come out here and there, indies/steam are great.

I've decided the optimal thing for me is to never buy a console again (kinda already don't except the switch which I'm not happy with how they do things, rarely if ever I'll buy new aaa sp games and just wait for emulators/mods. (like persona 5 royal, I will wait for some hard mode mods)

Isometrics are the kings for RPGs, but I guess fable? Dragon age series.

A fun magic/combat game is wizards of legend.