Design Statement
The theme track is not a melody to hum; it is a slow-building atmospheric pressure. It opens with sparse, low, unstable sounds, grows denser across its sixty seconds, and then drops into silence near the end. There is no clear beat or final cadence to hold onto, so I treated it as a model for suspense rather than rhythm.

I translated that structure into a town that never pauses: townsfolk keep schedules, move while the player travels or talks, and the monster and possible copycats act off-screen. The player gets no ready-made suspect list, only fragments, alibis, and uncertainty, because the track never offers a clean resolution. The score follows the same logic with drones, pulses, bells, and silence instead of a heroic theme. Visually, I avoided gore and used traces, watch seals, and documents. The brief silence after the track’s final swell became the game’s victory: relief, not triumph.

Game Instructions (launch steps, controls, and gameplay overview)
## Controls

### General
- `Esc`: close the current panel or dialog
- `Ctrl+S` / `Cmd+S`: save the hunt
- `Enter`: start a new hunt from the title screen
- Mouse: select buttons, people, doors, casebook tabs, and combat actions

### Town exploration
- `WASD` or arrow keys: walk
- `E`: interact with a nearby person, door, stair, or corruption root
- `J`: open the Findings tab in the casebook
- Click a person: open their dossier; if they are distant, the Purifier walks there automatically and the walking time is deducted
- Click a door or press `E` beside it: enter a building
- Use the casebook buttons for `WAIT` (+1 hour), `REST` (until dawn), `AID` (garrison), `MARKET`, and `LEAVE`

### Combat
- Click a highlighted tile to move after selecting `ADVANCE`
- Select an action, then click a valid enemy or tile
- `1`: Advance
- `2`: Strike
- `3`: Silver Cut
- `4`: Guard
- `5`: Ring Bell
- `6`: Draught
- `7`: Sanctify
- `Space`: end the turn

## Gameplay Overview

You are a Purifier of the Ashen Chapter. A monster is wearing a human face in each infected settlement. Your task is to identify the host, survive the confrontation, and cleanse the corruption roots beneath the town.

The town runs continuously. Townsfolk follow routines, move while you travel and question people, and may be missing when you arrive. The monster and possible copycat killers act while time passes, so multiple people can disappear before the case is closed. The casebook tracks all townsfolk, evidence, movements, relationships, and victims.

Begin by entering a settlement from the world map. Use the People list to sort townsfolk by suspicion, name, or status, then open a person to travel to their last known location and question them. Evidence can come from interviews, observation, searching a home, checking an alibi, witness testimony, poison tests, silver, or the chapel bell. Time, distance, and witness cooperation all matter. Alibis can be false; some lies come from loyalty, fear, or bribery. Suspicion is not proof.

If a person is missing or hidden, the list still records them. A search costs ten minutes and may fail. A hidden person will not be auto-routed to; entering the correct building and searching its rooms or cellar may reveal them. If a rival executioner is in town, they appear on the map and continue working the same contract.

When you are certain, expose the host. Exposing an innocent ends the hunt immediately. High-standing citizens cannot be bound without a chapterhouse writ. After the host is broken, cleanse the three corruption roots to purify the town. Save at least three settlements before the rivals do.

Gameplay walkthrough video
https://vimeo.com/share/3ad17ea3-8a4f-46dc-93ac-e023a2ecee7a

Did your project use any AI tools or assets? If yes, please specify.
Yes，all of the assets and codes are made from AI