CarrionCrow: The main problem with Not A Hero is that it deals in repetition heavily. You don't have a map, you need to figure out the route, then do the same route every time until you beat the level, along with clearing whatever challenges they throw at you.
If there isn't a time limit, you might run across things like needing to save hostages. If you enter a room with a hostage, the gunmen will be looking a certain direction. So you have to go through the level and figure out the route to attack them from behind.
It got very old, very fast.
Also, Not A Hero is a weird combination of either being too easy, or too hard in that repetitive, frustration-inducing way. If you don't give a crap about the challenges, you'll get through the levels a lot faster. But that's not necessarily a good thing, since there are only 21 levels.
Your health regenerates over time, so you could gradually go through every level, every fight, hugging cover at all times and crawling along progression-wise.
Yes, I think it is. The person who made Ronin included a kind of automatic checkpoint system. After every big fight, after each object you find (in the game you have to access computers to get intel on targets), it saves so you're not having to go back time after time.
Whoa now i'm really happy i decided to not get Not a Hero and it was tempting in the current sale but all the things you described sound either boring or really infuriating....looks like the developer never played their own game ....