A story-driven city puzzle game for nighttime exploration was released in Shanghai on July 24 as the first cultural and creative product for nighttime tourism under the Shanghai Tonight campaign.

Titled Shanghai Night Walk Journal — The Missing F.S., the puzzle game offers players a new way to explore Zhangyuan, Wujiang Road, and Fengshengli through puzzles and storytelling.

Shanghai Tonight is a citywide summer campaign running from June through September to promote nighttime shopping, dining, entertainment, reading, performances, sports, and tours.

Rather than taking a conventional urban walk centered on photo stops or following a recommended route, players take on a mystery-solving mission that unfolds through a continuous storyline.

Featuring the French characters Gaspard and Lisa as central figures throughout the storyline, the game uses a physical journal and other props to guide players through the story.

Players begin at Zhangyuan and follow clues throughout the surrounding historic neighborhood, observing architectural details, solving puzzles, and uncovering local stories as they explore shops, restaurants, and other nighttime venues.

There are no fixed sessions or guided tours. The full experience takes about three to five hours, but players can pause and resume on another day.

The game, which is currently available only in Chinese, can be purchased through the RedNote account "Kedaole" (科道乐). Players receive a kit that includes the journal, maps, clue cards, an initial guide, and other props. Once at Zhangyuan, they can start at any time, follow the guide, and access additional prompts via a dedicated WeChat official account. Those who do not speak Chinese can still enjoy the experience with the help of Chinese-speaking friends.

The journal and other props can be kept as souvenirs after the game.

Xiang Jiayao, who has played city puzzle games overseas, said she was pleasantly surprised to find a similar experience in Shanghai.

She said the puzzles required players to pay close attention to details throughout Zhangyuan that they would normally overlook. The experience also helped her appreciate the neighborhood from new perspectives, creating a stronger emotional connection and leaving a more lasting impression.

She also enjoyed noting interesting discoveries in the journal along the way.

Zhang Tianqi, a member of the city puzzle game design team, said Zhangyuan and its surrounding streets were chosen because they combine historic and modern architecture, commercial activity, and residential life.

To design the puzzles, the development team repeatedly walked through the neighborhood, explored lesser-known routes, spoke with elderly residents, and researched local history. Some parts of the game draw on stories gathered from residents and on historical research, offering both visitors and Shanghai residents a fresh perspective on the area, he said.

One of the historical details featured in the game concerns Furuli in Zhangyuan, where the inscriptions above the doorways were drawn from verses in the Classic of Poetry (Shi Jing) and were intended to offer guidance to future generations.

The development is also exploring multilingual versions to make the game more accessible to international visitors.

Source: China Daily