Ridge Hunter's Trail

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Track shy creatures through the fog by crossing footprints, disturbed brush and scent.

on jojoyin.itch.io

Ridge Hunter's Trail cover: a dark creature silhouette with a glowing pink eye in a foggy pine forest

Ridge Hunter's Trail is a quiet deduction game in the browser. You play a field researcher in a fictional mountain range, reading three kinds of clue to work out where a hidden creature is, then recording it in your field guide and letting it go. The daily challenge gives everyone the same map and three commissions.

About Ridge Hunter's Trail

Ridge Hunter's Trail, by jojoyin, was published on itch.io in September 2026. Nothing is hunted or harmed: the job is to find shy creatures, record them and release them. You never see a creature directly, only what it left behind, and the map is a grid of terrain hidden in fog.

There are three kinds of clue, and none is enough alone. Footprints point in a direction, but only within a cone of error. Disturbed brush marks a radius somewhere around it. Scent tells you how far away the creature is, but not which way. Crossing the clues narrows the possible cells. Every step costs stamina, so walking to the wrong ridge wastes the run. Once you are close, a careful close-range read decides whether your record is bronze, silver or gold; misread it and the creature slips away.

There are twelve creatures, and each reads differently: one flies straight so its footprint cones point true, another leaves no footprints at all and must be followed by scent. Your field guide fills in as you go, first with a name, then a description and terrain, then reading tips. A run takes five to eight minutes.

The daily challenge gives everyone the same map and the same three commissions, and ends with a short spoiler-free result card. The game plays in the browser with mouse or touch, works on phones, and is in English and Chinese.

How to play Ridge Hunter's Trail

Open Ridge Hunter's Trail on itch.io and start the daily challenge.
Look for clues on the map: footprints, disturbed brush and scent.
Cross the clues to narrow down where the creature can be, moving carefully to save stamina.
Get close and make a careful read to record it as bronze, silver or gold.
Finish the three commissions and copy your result card to share.

Screenshots

Ridge Hunter's Trail Round 1: a fog-covered terrain grid with the researcher, a footprint clue, a stamina bar and Look, Layer, Bell and Mark buttons

Ridge Hunter's Trail record screen: Mistfawn recorded with a bronze medal, points and Rest and Bank or Push On choices

Tips

Never trust one clue alone; a footprint cone and a scent distance together cut the map down fast.
Learn each creature's habits from the field guide; some leave no footprints.
Count your stamina before a long walk across the map.
Clues sit where the creature passed, not where it went, so read the freshest one.