Solovki — Gulag's Forgotten Shadows
Uncover the Gulag's darkest secrets on Solovki. Decode clues from the first experimental camp to expose the forgotten shadows of Stalin's terror hidden among sacred ruins.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the icy isolation of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island, the sacred Solovetsky Monastery—once a beacon of Orthodox faith—became the birthplace of Soviet horror in 1923
Solovki — Gulag's Forgotten Shadows
You are an exiled intellectual, returning to Bolshoy Solovetsky Island in the early 1930s, haunted by the fate of your vanished comrades.
You know that in 1
Uncover the dark secrets of the first Soviet repression laboratory
« « Solovki is a school of life and death. » »— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
Solovki: The Cradle of the Gulag and Human Experimentation
The Solovki Special Purpose Camp (SLON), established in 1923 on the Solovetsky Islands, was the first and one of the most formidable forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. Beyond its punitive function, Solovki served as a real-life laboratory for the new regime's methods of repression and 're-education.' Intellectuals, priests, officers, and dissidents were subjected to extreme conditions, organized famines, and psychological torture, testing the limits of human endurance and means to break the individual.
The 'experiments' conducted at Solovki were not always formal scientific endeavors but rather macabre social engineering: how to transform citizens into docile slaves, how to maximize their labor in inhumane conditions, and how to eliminate those who resisted. These practices, documented by former prisoners and historians, laid the foundations for the concentration camp systems that would define the 20th century, making Solovki a grim precursor to the extermination camps that followed.
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
5-10 curated sites across the territory
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?
Uncover a Hidden Truth
Delve into Solovki's secret archives to reveal the nature of early Soviet prisoner experiments.
Explore an Icy Archipelago
Journey through the harsh and isolated landscapes of the Solovetsky Islands, silent witnesses to a harrowing history.
Unravel the Threads of Soviet History
Follow clues left by a former guard to reconstruct the narrative of the Gulag's origins and methods.
Truth, even buried under ice, eventually emerges.
Uncover Solovki's secret register.
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
Uncover the chilling secrets of the Solovetsky Islands and reveal to the world the Gulag's first experiments, long before the horrors Europe would know. The past awaits your light.
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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