Wow, what a treat!
I think what was a truly pleasant surprise is how quickly my vision of efficient game design was spun on its head! I'm typically of the opinion that plot will always be gameplay's bitch, so I'm usually very skeptical about these "plot heavy" games unless the plot is REALLY good!
So I suppose this is more of an example of great storytelling as opposed to "genius game design" (I use quotes because this is a well designed game, it just so happens that the story is what makes the game fun.) You presented us with a perfectly believable scenario, giving us seemingly easy choices to make despite the severity of choosing who lives and dies. However, by the end, you realize that the person you've saved is not what she appears to be (from the way the story pans out, I believe you want players to keep Cynthia alive first. I saw what you did there! ;) ) From there, it just gets all crazy kinds of hectic, but the way you tie it in by using the survivors at the end of each branch...very well executed!
I'm not sure there's much more to say! The music was very well done (I'd actually like to know what software F-777 uses,) matching the hectic ups and downs of each scenario. Even little things such as the "blips" and "bleeps" of the computer or the icons of each character are simply inspired!
However, I have to remain objective in an effective review, and I felt that half a star reduction was necessary due to the "puzzle scenes." Though I understand why it had to be in there (it would simply be a boring, text scrolling game otherwise,) I felt as though it was rather weak compared to the rest of the epic things this game offers! I'm none too sure if it was the difficulty or the mechanics of the puzzles themselves, but I always felt that having to click these arrows and switches were simply getting in the way of figuring out what happens next to these mysterious characters! Perhaps in the next installment you may want to re-think your approach to the interactive scenes? Keep in mind, this is a matter of personal taste- I think the reason I have such trouble pinpointing a concrete flaw is because, at the end of the day, it truly did mesh with the rest of your creation.
Very, VERY well done! I really hope to see more from you in the future! :)
