Scattered in the Dark
6,000 paratroopers dropped alone into the Norman bocage
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Alone in the Norman bocage, without radio or map, miles from your drop zone: that is the reality of thousands of American paratroopers on the evening of June 5, 1944. Before dawn, find your unit or die alone in the dark — not knowing where you are, not knowing who is friend or foe.
Scattered in the Dark
You are a paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne, dropped on the night of June 5-6, 1944 over the Cotentin.
The wind blew you far from your drop zone. Your radio is broken, your map was lost in the jump. Around you, the Norman bocage — a labyrinth of thick hedgerows, sunken lanes and enclosed fields. You hear gunfire in the distance, shouts, the sound of planes. You must reconstruct your position from the stars and terrain clues, find your comrades, and reach the rally point before dawn exposes you to German marksmen.
Alone in the dark, without radio, without map, without bearings
« "I landed alone in a flooded field, in total darkness. For four hours, I didn't see another American. Just the sound of frogs and Germans." »— — Corporal of the 82nd Airborne Division, June 1944
The longest night
In the D-Day plan, the American airborne divisions — 82nd and 101st Airborne — were to jump behind German lines to secure bridges and crossroads in the Cotentin, preventing German reinforcements from reaching the beaches. But reality was catastrophic: German anti-aircraft fire forced planes to scatter, and the wind dispersed paratroopers across tens of kilometres.
Of the 13,000 paratroopers dropped that night, the majority landed far from their objectives. Hundreds fell into marshes deliberately flooded by the Germans and drowned under the weight of their equipment. Others found themselves isolated in the bocage — a terrain enclosed by impenetrable hedgerows where visibility was limited to a few metres. To identify each other in the dark, they used a small metal cricket that produced a distinctive "click-clack."
Despite the chaos, the paratroopers accomplished their mission. At Sainte-Mère-Église, men of the 82nd Airborne seized the town at around 4:30 AM — the first commune in France liberated by air. Paratrooper John Steele, whose parachute caught on the church steeple, became the symbol of this heroic and terrifying night. Today, a dummy still hangs from the steeple to commemorate his involuntary feat.
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
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?
Celestial navigation
Orient yourself like the 1944 paratroopers — the stars are your only map in the Norman night.
Authentic bocage
Cross the real Norman bocage — hedgerows, sunken lanes, enclosed fields — the paratroopers' labyrinth.
The longest route
Our longest and most demanding escape game — 4 km through bocage and countryside.
Airborne Museum
The route starts before the museum housing an authentic Waco glider and C-47.
In the dark, alone, without a map — find your way.
The stars are your only compass.
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 this an outdoor escape game in Sainte-Mère-Église · Bocage, sunken lanes & countryside or a classic scavenger hunt?
Both at once: it's an outdoor escape game — team puzzles, narration, clues, final code — but in the streets of Sainte-Mère-Église · Bocage, sunken lanes & countryside, at your pace. The classic scavenger hunt mechanic plus augmented reality through the camera.
Q02How long does it take to finish Scattered in the Dark?
Plan 1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. Some finish in 1 h 10, others take 3 h in slow-mode. No pressure: the clock only counts for the leaderboard, you play at your tempo.
Q03Do we need to be several people to enjoy it?
No, solo works very well. The outdoor escape game format in self-guided mode leaves room for introspection: read the story at your pace, hunt clues like a detective. 2-6 players is more social, solo is more contemplative.
Q04Is Scattered in the Dark stroller-accessible?
Depends on the exact route in Sainte-Mère-Église · Bocage, sunken lanes & countryside. The vast majority of stops are downtown, on sidewalks or squares. If a stair or narrow passage is involved, it's flagged on the product page. Generally: yes, doable with a standard urban stroller.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Dropped alone into the Norman bocage, find your section using the stars and terrain clues. Our longest and most immersive escape game — 4 km through the exact landscape where 6,000 paratroopers were scattered on D-Day night.
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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