Toledo can be explored by following a story, comparing clues and solving puzzles with companions. This is the proposal of Escape Street Toledo: to use the streets as the stage for a game that unfolds via a web application. The phone presents the fiction and the tests; the group must interpret what they discover and reach an agreement to advance.
The way it works combines three elements: an urban route, a fictional story and the participants' actions. The mobile connects the instructions to each moment of the game, while players observe the surroundings, relate information and share their ideas. Thus, walking through the city becomes an activity with objectives and questions to solve.
How the urban game works
Access is via a link, without downloading or installing an application. Before starting, a Game Master greets the group and explains how it works. The urban escape games continue in a self-guided manner; in the gymkhanas, a monitor accompanies the activity. These are two different ways of organising the experience, and it is worth knowing the difference when choosing the game.
Cooperation within the team, competition between teams
The four urban escape games allow for collaborative play or competition between teams. In the former, everyone faces the same adventure as a group. In the latter, each team needs to cooperate internally: comparing a clue, listening to a different interpretation or organising the response can help to solve the next puzzle.
The competition does not eliminate this collaboration, but rather places it within each team. Two, three or four teams can be formed and the ranking can then be compared according to the game's rules. This format requires at least four participants in total, with a minimum of two people in each team. The scoring depends on the chosen experience.
Six stories to play in Toledo
The public catalogue brings together six 120-minute experiences. The four escape games offer different plots: the investigation of The Interpreters of the Veil, the magic and puzzles of The Witch's Exam, the robbery and deception of The Great Toledo Heist: The Magpie, and the search for The Treasure of the Boy Who Tricked Toledo.
The other two experiences are collaborative gymkhanas with a monitor: Cervantes' Lost Chapter and The Order of Toledo: Final Convocation. In these, creativity and interpretation are part of the tests. In the case of Cervantes, the activity culminates in a final chapter customised for the group, a written memento of their participation in the story.
"I wanted people to enjoy Toledo by participating in a story. The mobile connects the clues to the city, and the players do the rest: they discover, debate and collaborate with their companions while competing against other teams. The idea is that they take away more than just a score: an experience that they will keep talking about after finishing," explains Daniel Moreno, head of Escape Street Toledo.
How to organise the game
The experiences accommodate groups of between two and thirty people, with the specific conditions of each format. The urban escape games cost 19 euros per person and the gymkhanas with a monitor cost 22 euros per person. The advertised duration for all six games is two hours.
To organise the game, the first step is to choose the story and check how it can be played. Then, check the date, time and conditions available when booking. The catalogue allows you to compare the premises, formats and prices before deciding which experience suits the group.
Information about the games and access to availability can be found inthe Escape Street Toledo catalogue. Escape Street Toledo handles enquiries at reservas@escapestreettoledo.es and by telephone on +34 668 554 796.
Image: promotional illustration for Escape Street Toledo; this is not a photograph of a game.