Desterro — The Brigadier's Secret
Uncover the hidden plan of Brigadeiro Sampaio to defend Desterro from invasion in 1777, deciphering clues left in the city’s colonial landmarks and monuments.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1777, the Portuguese colony of Desterro (today Florianópolis) faced a looming threat of invasion
Desterro — The Brigadier's Secret
You are a military archivist, dispatched to Florianópolis, formerly Desterro, in the aftermath of the 1870 Paraguayan War.
Your secret mission is to arrive at Praça
Dive into the secrets of Brigadier João José Vieira Campos, forgotten hero of the Paraguayan War, through the colonial cobblestones of former Desterro.
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
« Terra de Santa Cruz »— Pedro Álvares Cabral, Official territory name change in 1500, chronicle of Pero Vaz de Caminha
The story that haunts this land
Florianópolis bears the scars of its military past under the name Desterro, 'exile' in Portuguese, given to political prisoners sent to Ilha de Santa Catarina from 1748. Praça XV de Novembro, named in honor of the Brazilian Empire, served as a parade ground where regiments gathered before departing for the Rio de la Plata campaigns. Under the centenary fig tree, families waited for news of their soldiers gone to fight in Paraguay between 1864 and 1870.
The Metropolitan Cathedral, built between 1850 and 1895 in neoclassical style, raises its 58-meter tower like a lighthouse for warships returning from the Paraguayan conflict. In its nave seating 1,000, Te Deums celebrated Brazilian victories, while requiem masses honored the combat dead. Brigadier Vieira Campos attended services here before departing for the front, leaving behind his secret correspondence with the governor.
The Cruz e Sousa Palace, built in 1780 as residence of the Santa Catarina province governor, housed strategic staff meetings during the Paraguayan War. Within its 2,500 m² of Portuguese baroque architecture, Herculano Gomes da Silva, Desterro's governor in 1889, kept classified military archives. Francisco José de Cruz e Sousa, the symbolist poet born in 1861, grew up in the shadow of this palace where his father served as head waiter.
The Old Customs House, a 1,200 m² neoclassical building constructed in 1894, controlled arms imports and food exports to Brazilian troops. Listed as historical heritage in 1987, this customs post facing the port guarded the secrets of war financing. The Public Market, inaugurated in 1899 with its metal structure imported from France, replaced provisional military warehouses. Its 104 commercial stalls across 4,500 m² testify to post-conflict economic reconversion.
Your investigation ends at Parque da Luz, a small 2-hectare urban park inaugurated in the 1920s, where veterans gathered under centenary trees. The Rosário Stairway, with its 333 steps and 19th-century Portuguese azulejos, led pilgrims to the Virgin of the Rosary, protector of soldiers. You leave with the certainty that the story of Brigadier João José Vieira Campos, forgotten hero of the Paraguayan War, continues to haunt the stones of former Desterro now Florianópolis.
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?
Colonial Cartography
Follow the footsteps of the first cartographers and engineers who designed Santa Catarina's defense.
Forgotten Fortifications
Explore the remnants and reminders of the island's defensive structures against invasions.
Azorean Heritage
Delve into the history of Azorean settlers, builders, and defenders of the local identity.
The fate of the Captaincy of Santa Catarina is in your hands.
Decipher the Brigadier's secret plan to save colonial Brazil.
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
Dive into the secrets of Brigadier João José Vieira Campos, forgotten hero of the Paraguayan War, through the colonial cobblestones of former Desterro.
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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