Design Statement
Listening to the theme track, we were struck by its delicate, melancholic pulse - like a fragile mechanism ticking in a quiet room, gradually gathering warmth, momentum, and bittersweet resolve. We interpreted it as the story of Dawnwork: a clockwork doll awakening in a still environment, whose journey brings back motion.
Our key design choices focused on uniting mechanic, art, and sound into one living timepiece:
- The Key as Life and Offering: The key spinning on the doll’s back is both her heartbeat and her only tool. Players hold to wind dormant brass mechanisms - bringing warmth and light back to each chamber - until the finale, where she leaves her key inside the tower’s heart and gently winds down to rest as the giant clock awakens.
- Storybook Visuals & Rhythmic Audio: We paired painted 2D environments with a stepped-frame 3D character, while syncing the doll’s ticks and the tower’s clock hands directly to our adaptive music-box score.

Game Instructions (launch steps, controls, and gameplay overview)
LAUNCH STEPS
- Web Build (itch.io): Click "Run Game" in your browser (click inside the game window if audio or keyboard input does not focus immediately).
- Windows Build: Extract Dawnwork-Windows.zip into a folder and run Dawnwork.exe (keep Dawnwork.pck in the same folder).

CONTROLS
- Awaken at Start: Press E three times to wind the doll's back key until she springs to life.
- Move Left / Right: A / D or Left / Right Arrow Keys
- Jump: Space, W, or Up Arrow (hold longer for a higher jump)
- Interact / Wind Keyholes: Stand in front of a glowing brass keyhole and press E.
- Floor Pressure Buttons: Stand on brass floor buttons to rotate clock hands and gear bridges into walkable positions.
- Pause and Exit (Windows): Esc

GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW
You play as a small wind-up doll climbing from a quiet clockmaker’s workshop up to the belfry of a dormant clocktower. Use the wind-up key on your back to unlock doors, power elevators, align clock-hand bridges, ignite the central steam furnace, and ride the cable gondola to the summit - where awakening both halves of the great clock heart prepares the tower for dawn.

Gameplay walkthrough video
https://youtu.be/AL3CzYlwvpk

Did your project use any AI tools or assets? If yes, please specify.
AI coding tools were used to assist with GDScript programming, shaders, and audio arrangement scripts, while the 2D art, 3D character model/animations, and level design are original human-created assets (paired with licensed SFX packs).