This game's first half promised so much, and the second half failed to meet the expectation it bestows unto itself.

I have two main big gripes with the second half of the game. Gameplay-wise, it sucks that you basically cannot complete some puzzles, more prevalent later on, without the use of a guide. Story-wise, the Hero didn't even appear at all on the second half of the game until the very ending. Uh, what? Why? Also, the desert zone is entirely skippable, which imo points at a poor design choice.