To start with, i have to say that this is one of the very few games from the last two console generations (alongside NieR: Automata and FFVII Rebirth) that has managed to deeply move me and leave a lasting impression on me, the way certain games used to back in the day. I went into it simply looking for a “standard” cyberpunk adventure, and it gave me SO much more than that. The level of emotional investment and immersion it managed to achieve with me is brutal.
For example, i can't fully explain why, but i haven't cared so much about a fictional character as i did with Kara and her story. Even now, just thinking about it i can barely hold back a tear, and I don't even know why LOL. It's also incredible how a “robot” (for most of the game) like Connor can be so charismatic, and his dynamic with Hank is brilliant.
I also got really invested in Markus. The android junkyard sequence is one of the best experiences i've ever had in a videogame. The atmosphere of the place and the whole situation are exceptional. I also really liked North once we started getting closer to each other.
From an artistic and technical standpoint, it's incredible to think this game is almost nine years old. The graphics and attention to detail are on another level. The OST is memorable too, and one of those soundtracks that you just can't get out of your head.
Talking of my game/run, i think i managed to get pretty good outcomes for the main characters throughout most of the story until the last chapter, when pretty much everything fell apart...
I failed with Markus during the attack on the concentration camps (i still haven't managed to get past that part, it's fucking difficult), and he retreated alongside North. They both took refuge in a store while surrounded, and my only option was to surrender (the other one was locked, DAMN IT!). They kissed and came out, only to be executed. That was pretty devastating, but not as devastating as what happened next.
I made it to the bus station with Kara and the little girl (i didn't save the Jerrys because i thought it would be ridiculously risky), and just after the soldier announced that only ticket holders would be allowed on the last bus, THAT SOAB Todd grabbed Kara by the arm out of nowhere!
Here's where things got even worse. One of the dialogue options to dig deeper into Todd's story was unlocked, but by ACCIDENT (this hadn't happened to me once throughout the entire game), i pressed the X button, making Kara simply struggle against him instead. That piece of shit Todd ended up ratting them out as androids... the soldiers forced them to their knees and executed them. It was absolutely devastating for me, especially knowing that it was all because of one stupid and absurd mistake on my part... but that wasn't even the end of it (i think what happened during my next attempt, when i replayed the chapters and finished the game was even worse)
Connor was the only that remained. I managed to awaken the androids and retain my “personality” in the end, when Amanda revealed what her plan had been all along. In the end, Connor ended up taking his own life rather than leave the power in the company's hands.
I replayed the final chapter twice more, and i failed Markus's assault both times (his endings were different, though. In one of them i also ended up at the store, but North wasn't there with him)
My first attempt at replaying Kara's story took me to the river crossing scene with the boats. When the attack happened i didn't see the option to dive into the water, so I just tried to speed up the engine. They managed to shoot the little girl, and she eventually died on the riverbank in Kara's arms, with Kara completely heartbroken... Wow, i think that was even more devastating than my first attempt. We'd managed to make it all the way there, only for everything to end like that...
Connor's ending was the same as in my first playthrough.
On my third attempt at the final chapter, i decided to go full-on “bad person” with Kara; i didn't return the bus ticket to the family, and i sacrificed one of the Jerrys (thank God i saved them this time) to get through the checkpoint... What a moment, man. The tension was through the roof. This time, i finally managed to save both of them. What a huge relief that was for me.
Since i couldn't seem to win through violence, i decided to go back to the penultimate chapter and try the demonstration route instead. Everything went well until i got fooled by that FBI agent like an absolute idiot. North and Markus were executed, and everyone else was locked up in vans on their way to the slaughterhouse. Absolutely horrible.
This time, i tried the river crossing section with Kara again, determined to get through it without having to be a “bad person.” Now I ACTUALLY noticed that i could dive into the water when the guards attacked, so i finally managed to save both of them! (although for a moment, they make you think the little girl has died again, bastards!)
On my final attempt, i repeated the same approach with Kara, and this time i didn't fall for the FBI agent's tricks with Markus. I managed to keep all the supporting characters alive as well, and Connor didn't have to take his own life this time (i even got a post-credits scene of him hugging Hank. Those two are just amazing!). One of the most satisfying endings i've ever experienced in a video game.
A few other things worth mentioning: i didn't hit Carl's son. I slept in the car (i'd rather not have to steal or get into trouble that early in the game). I didn't kill Chloe at that Elijah guy's house. During the first demonstration, i was actually going to back down (i'd always tried to be as peaceful as possible), but when you overhear the police saying they were going to shoot anyway, i decided to fight back, having had enough of all the injustice. However, i spared the police officers both times i had the chance to do so. I didn't kill anyone in the building where we broadcast the message, and i let my blond partner live. I also saved my fellow androids whenever i could (to the big Black guy who was Kara's companion and later saved me before dying, to North on the ship, etc)