Umeplay Shanghai: Gateman

We recently played Gateman, the eighth entry in Umeplay’s TAPE series, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable escape room experiences I’ve had.

Umeplay’s TAPE series is part of the QUEST ART line of immersive escape rooms, combining cinematic storytelling with elaborately designed environments, theater, music, and interactive gameplay. Each Tape generally tells its own standalone story, though a few of them are connected or continue one another.

The chronological order of the Tapes, along with the cities where they can be played, is as follows:

01 Insane (Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Chengdu, Jinan)

02 Enola (Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu)

03 Reviver (Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Chengdu, Qingdao)

04 Sinner (Beijing)

05 Haven (Shanghai)

06 Visage (Beijing)

07 Abeille (Shanghai, Jinan)

08 Gateman (Shanghai)

09 Reviver II (DLC01, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou)

10 Insane II (DLC02, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen)

Strictly speaking, Reviver II and Insane II aren’t standalone Tapes but DLCs (downloadable contents) for Reviver and Insane respectively, each set in the same location as the original game. 

Anyone hoping to play all 10 Tapes will need to visit at least two cities, Shanghai and Beijing, since some are exclusive to those locations. We always played in the first city listed. The good news for international players: when booking, Umeplay offers the option to add a translator. 

There’s another connection between two Tapes that isn’t obvious at first glance: the one between Visage and Gateman. Visage is set against the backdrop of World War I and tells a love story that reaches beyond death. Gateman picks up decades later and revisits that story in its own subtle way: a familiar object from Visage resurfaces here, quietly tying the two games together, while a familiar face can randomly cross your path along the way. That’s why it’s worth playing Visage first, since only then will the full references and emotional depth of this connection land in Gateman.