You’re very welcome! That second-floor limitation could explain why my second run was so much quieter. After that first death, I was still expecting him around every corner, so the atmosphere was definitely doing its job.
Giving him access to both floors sounds like a good next step. Even an occasional glimpse of him moving through an area I needed to reach would’ve made me reconsider where I was going and how quickly I wanted to get there.
Glad the feedback was helpful, and thanks for explaining what was happening behind the scenes!