I enjoyed this game. I thought being a rebel could get me somewhere. But I found out the path to the best ending was to acquire the halo (because I'm helpless against Tanas without it) but otherwise be a defiant pacifist, refusing to acquire any weapon nor kill any android or enemy. (except Tanas, who somehow doesn't count)
The point is that I had to rethink good & evil within the context of the game. Not many games set players up to kick butt only to later reveal that nonviolence is the answer.
I did take half a star off because climbing the tower the first time was such a pain. Everytime I died, I had to do pretty much all of it over again. At least the switch remained activated and the block stayed where I left it. But it was still quite a hassle for the respawn point to be so far down. An extra respawn point further up would've made a big difference.
I took another half star off because I felt that while the art direction worked, it felt a bit too drab. Especially the color palate. Yes, I realize this is a post-apocalyptic scenario. But it seems, well, cliche. I don't expect a happy rainbow, but I'm kinda tired of seeing dark and/or rusty colors being used as a visual shorthand.
Whats the alternative? I don't have an answer. But I feel this question should probably be considered next time. A more original aesthetic for the apocalypse, or at least one used far less often, would go a long way.
The sound fx were simple. But that turned out to be exactly what was needed. The music and ambiance worked, but it wasn't memorable.
There were only two types of enemies. They seemed simple enough to defeat, and frankly boring. But when I replayed as a pacifist, they wound up providing the right level of difficulty. Its funny how such a minor change of perspective makes such a big difference.
Overall, its a great experience. One that I'll be recommending.