diff --git a/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/gate.js b/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/gate.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a5e584a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/gate.js
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+(function () {
+  "use strict";
+
+  var root = document.querySelector("[data-two-rivers]");
+  if (!root) return;
+
+  var button = root.querySelector("[data-tr-age-confirm]");
+  var ageScreen = root.querySelector("[data-tr-age]");
+  var loading = root.querySelector("[data-tr-loading]");
+  var loadingCopy = root.querySelector("[data-tr-loading-copy]");
+  var AGE_KEY = "zxh_two_rivers_age_gate_v1";
+
+  if (!button || !ageScreen || !loading) return;
+
+  button.addEventListener("click", function () {
+    root.dataset.ageConfirmed = "true";
+    try {
+      localStorage.setItem(AGE_KEY, "true");
+    } catch (_error) {
+      // The module bootstrap can still use the in-page marker when storage is unavailable.
+    }
+
+    ageScreen.hidden = true;
+    loading.hidden = false;
+    if (loadingCopy) loadingCopy.textContent = "Opening the festival…";
+
+    window.setTimeout(function () {
+      if (!loading.hidden && !root.querySelector("[data-tr-menu]:not([hidden])")) {
+        loading.innerHTML = "<div><strong>The festival files did not finish loading.</strong><p>Refresh once to fetch the latest game files. If the problem continues, the deployment is incomplete.</p><button type=\"button\" data-tr-gate-retry>Refresh</button><a href=\"/play/play.html\">Return to the playroom</a></div>";
+        var retry = loading.querySelector("[data-tr-gate-retry]");
+        if (retry) retry.addEventListener("click", function () { location.reload(); });
+      }
+    }, 12000);
+  }, {once: true});
+}());
diff --git a/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js b/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js
index 962d5b5..c3c0ff2 100644
--- a/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js
+++ b/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ async function start() {
 
   function showGateOrMenu() {
     const age = root.querySelector("[data-tr-age]");
-    if (saves.ageConfirmed()) {
+    if (saves.ageConfirmed() || root.dataset.ageConfirmed === "true") {
       age.hidden = true;
       showMenu();
     } else {
@@ -225,6 +225,7 @@ async function start() {
   root.querySelector("[data-tr-age-confirm]").addEventListener("click", () => {
     saves.confirmAge();
     root.querySelector("[data-tr-age]").hidden = true;
+    loadingEl.hidden = true;
     audio.unlock();
     showMenu();
   });
diff --git a/play/two-rivers.org b/play/two-rivers.org
index c4a8f4b..f7696ac 100644
--- a/play/two-rivers.org
+++ b/play/two-rivers.org
@@ -93,10 +93,11 @@
   <noscript><section class="tr-screen"><div class="tr-card"><h1>JavaScript is required</h1><a href="/play/play.html">Return to the playroom</a></div></section></noscript>
 </main>
 
-<link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/styles/pages/two-rivers.css?v=1.0.0">
+<link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/styles/pages/two-rivers.css?v=1.0.1">
+<script src="/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/gate.js?v=1.0.1"></script>
 <script src="/assets/scripts/vendor/two-rivers/phaser-3.90.0.min.js?v=1.0.0"></script>
 <script src="/assets/scripts/vendor/two-rivers/gsap-3.13.0.min.js?v=1.0.0"></script>
 <script src="/assets/scripts/vendor/two-rivers/howler-2.2.4.min.js?v=1.0.0"></script>
-<script type="module" src="/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js?v=1.0.0"></script>
+<script type="module" src="/assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js?v=1.0.1"></script>
 <!-- TWO-RIVERS-STANDALONE-END -->
 #+END_EXPORT
diff --git a/tests/two-rivers/game.test.mjs b/tests/two-rivers/game.test.mjs
index 8e512e6..220b80e 100644
--- a/tests/two-rivers/game.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/two-rivers/game.test.mjs
@@ -133,10 +133,12 @@ test("page uses local pinned libraries and production source is clean", () => {
   assert.match(page, /phaser-3\.90\.0\.min\.js/);
   assert.match(page, /gsap-3\.13\.0\.min\.js/);
   assert.match(page, /howler-2\.2\.4\.min\.js/);
+  assert.match(page, /games\/two-rivers\/gate\.js\?v=1\.0\.1/);
   assert.doesNotMatch(page, /https?:\/\//);
   const source = [
     page,
     read("assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/main.js"),
+    read("assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/gate.js"),
     read("assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/core/state.mjs"),
     read("assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/ui/interface.mjs"),
     read("assets/scripts/games/two-rivers/scenes/game-scenes.mjs")