The Lighthouse of Saint-Mathieu
The apostle's skull beneath the abbey ruins
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
The ruins of Saint-Mathieu abbey hide the skull of the apostle Matthew, brought from Egypt by Breton merchants. The modern lighthouse rises among the ruins — the light of reason upon the shadows of faith.
A sacred relic, haunted ruins, a lighthouse watching over the shipwrecked
Brest is a city of sailors and wars. Its roadstead, one of the largest in the world, has sheltered the French navy since Richelieu. But beyond the city, at Pointe Saint-Mathieu, stands a unique place: the ruins of a 6th-century Benedictine abbey, amid which rises a modern lighthouse. Legend says Breton merchants brought the skull of the apostle Matthew from Alexandria and founded the abbey to house it. Your quest begins at Tour Tanguy and will lead you to the ruins — to find the lost relic.
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.
« "Brest: even the stones smell of gunpowder and salt." »— — Saying of Brest's sailors
Brest & Saint-Mathieu — the war port and the abbey at the end of the world
Brest owes its destiny to its roadstead — an immense natural body of water protected from the open sea by a narrow channel. From the Middle Ages, the Dukes of Brittany installed a fortress here. Richelieu made it France's premier war port. Colbert created the arsenal and shipyards that would build Louis XIV's fleets.
Twenty kilometers from Brest, Pointe Saint-Mathieu marks the channel entrance. A Benedictine abbey was founded here in the 6th century, according to tradition, by merchants who had brought the skull of the apostle Matthew from Alexandria. For centuries, the monks maintained a fire to guide ships.
Destroyed during the Revolution, the abbey is now in ruins. A modern lighthouse, built in 1835, rises amid the remains. The Cours Dajot in Brest offers a panorama of the roadstead that Napoleon called "the most beautiful in the universe." Tour Tanguy, on the opposite bank, preserves the memory of old Brest, destroyed in 1944.
The Route
5 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?
Abbey in ruins
Explore the spectacular remains of a 6th-century abbey facing the ocean.
Lighthouse in the ruins
A modern lighthouse rises amid medieval ruins — a striking contrast.
Sacred relic
Find the skull of the apostle Matthew, brought from Alexandria 1,500 years ago.
Historic war port
Cross Brest, France's greatest military port since Richelieu.
The light watches where faith has faded.
From Brest to the abbey ruins, find the apostle Matthew's relic.
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, WhatsApp, 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
From Tour Tanguy to the Château de Brest, from the Cours Dajot to the ruins of Saint-Mathieu — traverse 1,700 years of maritime history in an escape game where a lighthouse illuminates the secrets of a vanished abbey.
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
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
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