diff --git a/game.js b/game.js
index 33e46d0..f50e752 100644
--- a/game.js
+++ b/game.js
@@ -346,8 +346,10 @@ class Game {
       const p = document.getElementById('map-player');
       if (p) {
         p.className = 'map-player idle';
-        /* keep facing the last direction moved */
-        p.style.transform = this.state.lastDir === 'right' ? 'scaleX(-1)' : 'scaleX(1)';
+        /* Show the idle/middle frame for the last direction walked
+           Frames at 2× scale (32px each): down=32, up=128, left=224, right=320 */
+        const idleFrames = { down:'-32px', up:'-128px', left:'-224px', right:'-320px' };
+        p.style.backgroundPositionX = idleFrames[this.state.lastDir] || '-32px';
       }
     }
   }
@@ -382,7 +384,7 @@ class Game {
     /* Player sprite stays horizontally centred; only Y shifts */
     const p = document.getElementById('map-player');
     if (p) {
-      const centreX = viewW / 2 - 20;
+      const centreX = viewW / 2 - 16;
       const centreY = viewH * 0.57 + this.state.worldY;
       p.style.left   = centreX + 'px';
       p.style.bottom = (viewH - centreY - 40) + 'px';
@@ -463,9 +465,9 @@ class Game {
 
     const p = document.getElementById('map-player');
     if (p) {
-      p.style.left      = (viewW / 2 - 20) + 'px';
+      p.style.left      = (viewW / 2 - 16) + 'px';
       p.style.bottom    = (viewH * 0.36) + 'px';
-      p.style.transform = 'scaleX(-1)';
+      
       p.className       = 'map-player idle';
     }
     this._applyCamera();
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 7b2d29c..9d47845 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@
         <div class="map-npc" id="map-npc"></div>
       </div>
       <!-- Player stays fixed to viewport, only Y moves -->
-      <div class="map-player" id="map-player">🧢</div>
+      <div class="map-player" id="map-player"></div>
       <!-- Hints overlay the viewport, not the world -->
       <div class="map-talk-hint" id="map-talk-hint" style="display:none"><span class="hint-pc">Press E</span><span class="hint-touch">Press A</span></div>
       <div class="map-dir-arrow" id="map-dir-arrow" style="display:none">▶</div>
diff --git a/player.png b/player.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3d5c31
Binary files /dev/null and b/player.png differ
diff --git a/style.css b/style.css
index fc2664f..0930e50 100644
--- a/style.css
+++ b/style.css
@@ -100,10 +100,12 @@ html, body {
 @keyframes wrongShake   { 0%,100%{transform:translateX(0)}25%{transform:translateX(-5px)}75%{transform:translateX(5px)} }
 @keyframes npcFloat     { 0%,100%{transform:translateY(0)}50%{transform:translateY(-8px)} }
 @keyframes treeSway     { 0%,100%{transform:rotate(-2deg)}50%{transform:rotate(2deg)} }
-@keyframes walkLeft     { 0%,100%{transform:scaleX(1) translateY(0)}50%{transform:scaleX(1) translateY(-4px)} }
-@keyframes walkRight    { 0%,100%{transform:scaleX(-1) translateY(0)}50%{transform:scaleX(-1) translateY(-4px)} }
-@keyframes walkUp       { 0%,100%{transform:translateY(0)}50%{transform:translateY(-4px)} }
-@keyframes walkDown     { 0%,100%{transform:translateY(0)}50%{transform:translateY(4px)} }
+/* Sprite walk — player.png 384x32px, 24 frames at 16x32px each
+   Layout: 0-2=down  3-5=up  6-8=left  9-11=right */
+@keyframes walkDown  { from{background-position-x:   0px} to{background-position-x:  -96px} }
+@keyframes walkUp    { from{background-position-x: -96px} to{background-position-x: -192px} }
+@keyframes walkLeft  { from{background-position-x:-192px} to{background-position-x: -288px} }
+@keyframes walkRight { from{background-position-x:-288px} to{background-position-x: -384px} }
 @keyframes dpadPress    { 0%{transform:scale(1)}50%{transform:scale(.88)}100%{transform:scale(1)} }
 @keyframes abPress      { 0%{transform:scale(1)}40%{transform:scale(.82)}100%{transform:scale(1)} }
 @keyframes choiceCursor { 0%,100%{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px var(--yellow), 2px 2px 0 var(--darkgray)}50%{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px #ffe878, 2px 2px 0 var(--darkgray)} }
@@ -469,16 +471,23 @@ html, body {
 /* Player is fixed to the viewport centre horizontally; only Y moves */
 .map-player {
   position: absolute;
-  font-size: clamp(28px, 8vw, 40px);
+  width:  32px;
+  height: 64px;
+  background-image: url('./player.png');
+  background-repeat: no-repeat;
+  background-size: 768px 64px;
+  background-position: 0 0;
+  image-rendering: pixelated;
   filter: drop-shadow(2px 3px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.4));
   z-index: 10;
-  line-height: 1;
+  font-size: 0;
+  color: transparent;
 }
-.map-player.walk-left  { animation: walkLeft  .25s steps(1) infinite; }
-.map-player.walk-right { animation: walkRight .25s steps(1) infinite; }
-.map-player.walk-up    { animation: walkUp    .25s steps(1) infinite; }
-.map-player.walk-down  { animation: walkDown  .25s steps(1) infinite; }
-.map-player.idle       { animation: none; }
+.map-player.walk-down  { animation: walkDown  .32s steps(3) infinite; }
+.map-player.walk-up    { animation: walkUp    .32s steps(3) infinite; }
+.map-player.walk-left  { animation: walkLeft  .32s steps(3) infinite; }
+.map-player.walk-right { animation: walkRight .32s steps(3) infinite; }
+.map-player.idle       { animation: none; background-position-x: 0px; }
 
 /* Talk hint that floats above player when near NPC */
 .map-talk-hint {