It really depends on the game in question. I've been finding in recent years that in pretty much anything other than traditional Turn-Based RPGs, I enjoy the prospect of dungeons. Something about going into these areas with self-contained stories, enemies, and environments without having to be annoyed by encounters every few steps is just fun to me, it really hits at the heart of what I like about RPG exploration.
Except when they're asset flips or open-world distractions. I'm looking at you, Elder Scrolls.
But Pokemon's a bit of a mixed bag because its dungeons aren't really that and all and it is, all in all, a traditional Turn-Based RPG. But the thing is, I actually remember my time in most dungeons throughout the series, and not just because I've played them a lot. But Silph Co., both in structure and design, isn't like any other dungeon in the series. It's surprisingly freeform (especially for RBY) while still managing to lead you on without breaking away from its emphasis on exploring the area, and it rewarded you for opening up new areas which made it a generally fun experience in a way that not a lot of dungeons do. This in mind, RBY, in particular, was pretty big on this idea of giving you a preview of coming attractions and making you figure out how to get there. If any of you've play the Souls series then you're probably very familiar with this idea. In all likelihood it was probably meant to veil the area's design emphasis on circular or roundabout areas versus a more linear style as seen later in the series, but it works to great effect (and basically makes shortcut locations built-in). Not always, of course. Mt. Moon was a thing, and uuuuuuuuuugh. Uuuuuuuugh. Not even gonna talk about it. Nope nope.
But I feel like one thing that becomes more of a theme later is "brevity". In my Pokemon X and Y nuzlockes, I remember always feeling this sigh of relief when I saw a dungeon coming up (save for one. That one ended more runs than it saved). A large reason for this was, well, A. they didn't require HMs (still those games' greatest achievement and I'll always be thankful for that), B. They were short, and C. They were chock full of new Pokemon. And I feel like all of these things are important because while it made them less engaging than dungeons of other titles in the series, they were also less tedious. Encounters were more interesting because there were more Pokemon at this point but, despite this, if I just wanted to get out I wouldn't need to wade through five years worth of zubats to do so.
This design philosophy does continue into Generation 7, though here the HM usage is reintroduced since it has the freedom to do so without being a detriment to the player's party. This gave them the freedom to make more engaging dungeon experiences without constantly slapping the player in the face with HM choice boxes, while at the same time not making them waste a slot in their party. And did they take this to full effect?
Good question, not really sure. Ended up losing my nuzlocke at around the half-way point, maybe a bit after. Aaaaand my nuzlocke is also my first playthrough so. But I will say that of the dungeons I have explored, it's mostly a no, but there are also less dungeons in this game than there are in others with the game placing more emphasis on world exploration, often intent on making dungeons optional as often as they're necessary, which I feel is a nice touch, especially since where these optional dungeons lead you tend to make for pretty nice surprises.
