I liked the characters and the dialogues, they were fun! It was really great way to setup the mood and the narrative.
That's why the gameplay works even if it is a bit simple. The buildup to the actual mission really pays off when we succeed!
I only failed once but I wonder if there is a way to get all 8 items by "stacking" the reduced difficulty. Without this I don't think it's possible (or is it?). Maybe there is a secret ending there hahaha