Horta — Telegraph Cable Conspiracy
Decipher the conspiracy behind Horta's submarine telegraph cables. Uncover sabotage plots, rival spies, and lost codes that threatened global communications from this Atlantic hub.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Horta transformed from a quiet port into the world's nerve center for transatlantic telegraphy
Horta — Telegraph Cable Conspiracy
You are a special investigator dispatched to Horta, Portugal, in the early 20th century.
Horta, once a quiet port, has become the world's nerve center for transatlantic
At the turn of the 20th century, Horta was the beating heart of transatlantic communications. Submarine cables connected Europe and America via Faial, making the island a strategic crossroads and a hub of intrigue. Immerse yourself in this glorious era and unravel the mysteries buried beneath the waves.
« Fayal is the nerve centre of Atlantic telegraphy. From this volcanic island, we control the pulse of two continents. »— Charles Blandy, ingénieur en chef, Fayal Telegraph Company, 1901
L'Âge d'Or du Télégraphe Transatlantique
On May 15, 1893, the first telegraph cable directly linked Europe to America via Horta. The Fayal Telegraph Company, an Anglo-American consortium, chose this Azorean island for its strategic position — halfway between the two continents. Within years, four cables converged on the bay: Europe-America (1893), Lisbon-New York (1894), London-Halifax (1906), and Brest-Boston (1928).
Charles Blandy, the British chief engineer, supervised the installation from his office facing Mount Pico. He trained a team of Portuguese telegraphists and developed a secret code to protect government communications. When the Great War broke out, Horta became a geopolitical stakes: whoever controlled these cables controlled transatlantic communications. In 1918, Blandy hid the technical maps before returning to London, fearing a German occupation of the archipelago.
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 Route
8 sites to explore by car within the day
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 · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Communications Genius
Dive into the technological saga that revolutionized intercontinental communications from a lost volcanic island
Secrets of the Depths
Reconstruct the secret cartography of the four submarine cables that transformed Horta into an Atlantic crossroads
Telegraph Espionage
Decrypt Charles Blandy's codes and uncover the geostrategic mystery of an island that connected two continents
Élucidez la cartographie secrète de Charles Blandy
Huit indices révèlent les coordonnées exactes des quatre câbles transatlantiques qui firent de Horta le centre névralgique des communications entre l'Europe et l'Amérique.
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.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Élucidez l'emplacement des quatre câbles transatlantiques cachés par l'ingénieur Charles Blandy. Déchiffrez les codes morse gravés dans la pierre, reconstituez les coordonnées marines secrètes, et percez le mystère de la petite île qui révolutionna les communications mondiales. Les azimuts, fréquences et profondeurs que vous collecterez révèleront la cartographie géostratégique de l'Atlantique Nord.
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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