Paul Valéry's Secret
Uncover the mystery of the poet's unfinished manuscript
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In his final months, was Valéry hiding the key to a poetic revolution?
Paul Valéry's Secret
You are André Berne-Joffroy, a Parisian literary critic sent to Sète in July 1945 to investigate a troubling mystery.
Paul Valéry has just died, leaving behind a notebook of cryptic notes mentioning a "new method" that would revolutionize poetic writing. His family refuses to publish this manuscript. Your mission: find the eight fragments scattered throughout the poet's hometown to reconstruct this intellectual testament. From the fishermen's quarter to the gardens of Mount Saint-Clair, follow the traces of the author of The Marine Cemetery in a 2h30 investigation mixing literature and Sète's history.
1945 — The enigma of Valéry's last notebook
« Il faut tenter de vivre ! »— Paul Valéry, Le Cimetière marin, 1920
Paul Valéry and Sète — The Mediterranean roots of a genius
Born in Sète in 1871, Paul Valéry remained deeply attached to his hometown despite his Parisian career. Son of a customs officer, he grew up facing the Mediterranean that would nourish all his poetic work. Young Paul discovered philosophy while walking the port quays, observed fishermen hauling in their nets, contemplated sailboats from the terraced gardens of Mount Saint-Clair. This intimate geography shaped his sensitivity: the sea as a metaphor for consciousness, the wind as creative breath.
In 1945, Valéry returned to Sète one last time, ill, to revisit the places of his childhood. He filled a mysterious notebook with notes about a "new poetic method" he would never have time to develop. His final walks took him from the Molière theater where he attended his first shows, to the marine cemetery that would inspire his masterpiece. This unfinished intellectual testament has fueled researchers' speculation for 80 years: had Valéry discovered a secret of writing that death stole from him?
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.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
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?
Augmented reality manuscripts
Discover Valéry's secret notebooks that come alive on Sète's walls
Poetic holograms
Meet Paul Valéry and his contemporaries in reconstructed scenes
Authentic Mediterranean route
Follow the poet's steps from the port quays to the legendary marine cemetery
More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive visit immersed in Paul Valéry's literary universe
Discover Sète through the eyes of the Marine Cemetery poet
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
Q01Is Paul Valéry's Secret similar to a treasure hunt?
Same spirit: search, deduce, find. But here the "treasure" is a full story to piece together in eight stops. Each stop gives you a fragment of the final code. Eight fragments later, you've cracked it.
Q02Can we split Paul Valéry's Secret across two days?
Yes — your code stays active and progress is saved. You can start Saturday afternoon, finish Sunday morning. Some players actually prefer this format to make the most of a full weekend on site.
Q03Can we play Paul Valéry's Secret as a couple?
Great two-person format. Narration is dramatic without overdoing it, puzzles are designed to spark conversation. Ideal for new relationships or anniversaries — you discover the city and coordinate on puzzles simultaneously.
Q04What if we get stuck on a puzzle?
Three hint levels per puzzle, with a small increasing time penalty. If truly stuck after level 3, you can skip the step (45-min penalty). The point: nobody stays blocked and goes home frustrated.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Follow in the footsteps of the greatest Mediterranean poet and uncover the mystery of his literary testament. Download the app, head to Molière theater!
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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