The Dongba Cipher — Decode the Naxi Prophecy
Decipher a hidden Dongba prophecy locked in Lijiang's ancient streets. Solve pictographic riddles to uncover the secret that shaped Naxi destiny.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
For centuries, Dongba priests guarded a prophecy written in the world's last living pictographic script — a message so powerful that only those who could read the sacred symbols could understand it
The Dongba Cipher — Decode the Naxi Prophecy
You are a young Naxi scholar, chosen by the elders of Lijiang in the early 20th century, to safeguard the wisdom of your ancestors.
For centuries, Dongba priests guarded
The Last Dongba – Guardian of an Ancient Prophecy
« Dongba characters are speaking images, drawing sounds, a bridge between heaven and earth. »— Joseph F. Rock, botanist and explorer (1920s-1940s)
The Naxi People and their Heritage
The Naxi people, primarily settled in the Lijiang region, are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. Their culture is renowned for its Dongba pictographic script, one of the few hieroglyphic writing systems still in use worldwide. This script is intrinsically linked to the Dongba religion, a form of shamanism that integrates elements of Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, and the Bön religion. Dongba priests are the guardians of this tradition, using manuscripts for rituals, divinations, and the transmission of tales and legends.
The history of the Naxi is marked by remarkable cultural resilience. Despite external influences and dynastic changes, they have managed to preserve their language, customs, and especially their Dongba script, which is a pillar of their identity. Lijiang Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a living testament to this civilization, with its unique architecture, canals, and harmony between man and nature, reflecting the principles of their ancestral philosophy.
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?
Ancient Manuscript
Unravel the secrets of an ancient Dongba ritual calendar, carrying millennia of wisdom.
Ancestral Wisdom
Explore the Naxi philosophy that has allowed this unique civilization to withstand the test of time.
Ancient Landscapes
Journey through places rich in history and beauty, bearing witness to the Naxi heritage.
Between signs and shadows, the soul of a people endures.
Unveil the mystery of ancestral knowledge.
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 an app or a paper guide?
Neither. Everything plays in your browser (Safari, Chrome) after you tap your activation link. No PDF to print, no download. The trail lives in your phone, that's it.
Q02How many stops are in The Dongba Cipher — Decode the Naxi Prophecy?
Eight stops total. At each stop you find a camera clue, solve the puzzle, collect a fragment of the final code. With all eight, you've got the answer.
Q03Can we do The Dongba Cipher — Decode the Naxi Prophecy as a family with kids?
Yes, from age 6 with an adult reading puzzles aloud, and from age 12 on their own. Kids love the "find the camera clue" part — it's very visual, gets them genuinely involved.
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
Untangle the threads of a forgotten prophecy and protect the heritage of a resilient civilization. The future of the Naxi is in your hands.
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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