Barrio Amón — The Forgotten Heir's Plot
Uncover the forgotten heir's conspiracy tied to a revolutionary architect's coded legacy in Barrio Amón. Decipher clues from historic mansions to expose the 1948 plot before it resurfaces.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the opulent Barrio Amón of 1948, as civil war erupted over President Calderón Guardia's reforms, a shadowy architect vanished amid the chaos
Barrio Amón — The Forgotten Heir's Plot
You are Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno, former President of Costa Rica, returning in 1948 as the Costa Rican Revolution rumbles.
Your mission: to thwart a plot designed to discredit the republican
Immerse yourself in the heart of Barrio Amón, a colonial district where the century-old facades of San José whisper the secrets of a jealously guarded Costa Rican history.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Your journey begins at Parque España, a public park inaugurated in 1916 and designed by Costa Rican architect J. Marín. Surrounded by early 20th-century colonial houses in Barrio Amón, this approximately 1-hectare site in the heart of the historic district houses a statue of Leo XIII, gifted by the Pope in 1906. It is here, under the shade of San José's century-old trees, that the first pieces of information about the plot are conveyed to you, hidden in architectural details and ancient monuments. The park's peaceful atmosphere contrasts with the tension of your mission.
Casa Tinoco, a mansion built in 1925 for the family of President Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno, is your next stop. Its Spanish colonial architecture, with wrought-iron balconies imported from Europe, testifies to the wealth and influence of the era. Today a private museum and art gallery, restored in 1998 and classified as National Historic Heritage since 2002, this location is crucial. A vital document is concealed here, revealing the first names involved in the plot against the heir, drawing you deeper into the stakes of the 1948 Costa Rican Revolution.
Continue to Casa Koberg, built around 1910 by German architect Henry Koberg for diplomats. Its Victorian style, with German stained glass and original Catalan tiles, offers a striking contrast. It housed the Spanish embassy in the 1930s and was restored in 2015 after 5 years of abandonment. Within its walls, you uncover secret correspondences, helping you untangle the web of alliances and betrayals among San José's elite, and understand the motivations behind the conspiracy.
Paseo de las Damas, a pedestrian alley created in 1927, connects Parque España to Barrio Amón. Named in homage to the high-society Costa Rican ladies of the 1920s, this 350-meter promenade is lined with 18 royal palms planted in 1928, a traditional Sunday strolling spot for a century. As you walk along this emblematic San José alley, you decipher symbols left on the palm trees, guiding you to the conspirators' next target and revealing the extent of the shadow network in the colonial quarter.
Your investigation culminates with the discovery of the plot's true objective, by exploring Casa de las Virreinas, a mansion built in 1918 by coffee heiress Amalia de los Virreyes, with its 450 m² neoclassical facade and 22 original intact rooms. Having served as the French consulate from 1945 to 1972 and containing the largest private collection of Art Nouveau furniture in Costa Rica, it holds the key to the mystery. By unraveling the threads of this intrigue, you will have not only thwarted a plot but also explored the rich National Historic Heritage and Republican Architecture from 1900-1930 of San José, a city where every building tells a part of Costa Rica's history.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Period Architecture
Admire the rich Victorian and Art Nouveau styles of Barrio Amón, witnesses to a bygone era.
Coffee Heritage
Delve into the history of the powerful coffee families who shaped the opulence and urban planning of this elegant district.
Forgotten Chronicles
Uncover an unknown chapter of the 1948 Revolution through the secret notes of an architect who witnessed the events.
Walls hold secrets that official history forgets...
Unveil the hidden truth of Barrio Amón.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
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Your turn to play
Immerse yourself in the heart of Barrio Amón, a colonial district where the century-old facades of San José whisper the secrets of a jealously guarded Costa Rican history.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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