Graphics and art direction remain immaculate. The writing is on the high note still, even with Em to whom I was initially somewhat sceptical, loony girl but she grows on you. Exploring different branches of conversation is a nice touch. Locking out parts of conversation was a novelty, a good one if it doesn't soft-lock anything important.
Detectives got good dynamic, I do hope as the case progresses your partner becomes a tad less snarky and sarcastic. Obradinesque track for confirming section of your work hits hard. Adding new ways of interacting with evidence - Viggo and the car's frequency/wave-meter. enriches the game and provides more depth. Love the reconstruction mechanism.
Now for the bad.
I understand your underscored importance of paying attention to the detail. I do think it works 90% of the time, figuring something out, especially without any external help feels rewarding. I appreciate that game doesn't hold my hand 90% of the time. The 10% is a low point in the game. I've failed to find the cotton, it just didn't stand out enough for me to notice. In response to that I've bagged all items I could find, used scanner, viggo, talked to each character, before one of the forms ensured me that there's a piece of evidence missing. I've strolled through the entire map 4 times, finding each exit, every batch of leaves, every displaced barrel, hell even a gap in the fence that I thought for a second, contained some key takeaway. But the cotton didn't show up on my radar for a second, I knew that something was there, but after scouring the grounds not once or twice I started wishing for some sort of pity-timer hint. What would I give for a soft audio cue, enabled only after no progress has been made for some time. Or your partner saying something like 'There's cotton on the bushes mate, gee golly I feel like I'm back in Alabama'. I suppose once the game ships people who get stuck will be able to get information they need from the internet, and it won't be much of a hassle.
All in all, can't wait to see where the game actually progresses, it's unique, it stands out, mechanics are solid and the mystery does lure one in. As described above, unapologetic commitment to not holding hand has its drawbacks, but I have no doubt it will be a massive success.