RETURN TO THE SEA!
I loved vertigo temple and this feels like a nice expansion on the ideas you started. Nice to see more characters added into the mix and the silent protagonist works very well. I didn't like any of the characters at first (especially Shawn), but ended up growing on all of them (especially Shawn). The chase does feel frantic and the lighting/visual effects have such a nice polish. The mixture of snes ff-style sprites and VN sprites is a nice combination.
Great soundtrack. The first piano theme has a quirky sad but hopeful vibe to it, perfect for all the characters. The track that plays after things get hairy has a very chrono cross-y vibe to it, great waily bending notes. The folk song is also a nice touch.
The story seemed a little slow at first but did quickly pick up the pace. I found myself enthralled about the past of all the characters and thought you guys did a great job of telling us about the past in the present.
The gray box behind the VN text almost feels out of place against certain backgrounds. One background blurred the textbox on the left while it was very apparent on the right, and I found myself focusing on it to see where it really was for some odd reason.
One other quirk I had was similar to some moments in Vertigo Temple where I had been real confused about where to go. The last chase in particular, the 2nd time the monster spawns. I failed half a dozen times or so until I tricked the game logic to getting past him. It almost required figuring out how the monster changes rooms in the game logic and then using that game logic against the game, even when the logic itself defies normal locomotion (although its a 'ghost' so it kinda makes sense). It was the biggest (and really the only) immersion shattering moment for me. Altogether, great job guys! It's awesome to see you guys continue working together and expanding on your previous ideas.
Typo : at the first transmission when you're at the computer (forfeit says 'foreit')