Since our Game Design Bootcamp in February this year, we at espoto have been working on numerous new game design projects. What is especially exciting is that some of the ideas, methods and techniques from the bootcamp have already found their way into real customer projects.
One first example is a game developed together with the climbing park in Hasloh. During the bootcamp, we created a new game concept for children and teenagers and worked more intensively with illustrated characters and images for the first time. In addition, we did not rely solely on a classic narrative structure, but integrated dialogues between different protagonists and added voice recordings to them.
The result now brings great joy to both our partner and the players. At the same time, the project clearly demonstrated how much potential our software has when storytelling, puzzles, media and a real location are meaningfully combined.
We have now incorporated these experiences into a new project: Tesouro.
A pirate treasure game on Portugal’s Atlantic Coast
Tesouro is a commissioned project and our first pirate treasure game for families in Portugal. The name means “treasure” – and that is exactly what the game is all about.
In the Camarido pine forest on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, players follow the message in a bottle left by a missing archaeologist. Together with his daughter Inês, they decipher the 350-year-old secret symbols of the legendary pirate Bartolomeu Português. Spot by spot, they get closer to his lost treasure.
But the treasure hunt does not simply end with a discovered object. In the finale at the sea fortress Forte da Ínsua, the players must decide for themselves what should happen to their find. This creates an interactive story with three possible endings.
Tesouro combines real history, real puzzles and a playful decision-making moment. Participants do not merely follow a predefined plot; they become part of the story themselves and influence how their treasure hunt ends.
Storytelling that goes beyond text
At the heart of Tesouro is an exciting story that guides players step by step through various tasks, clues and challenges. But the game is not just about solving puzzles. By combining images, dialogues, audio elements and tasks, it creates a small game world of its own that families can immerse themselves in together.
One special feature of the project is that all dialogues are fully voiced. This means the characters do not only appear in images or texts, but actively guide players through the story. They provide clues, share their perspectives and make the plot feel more alive.
This is a major added value, especially for families and children. The story becomes more accessible, more emotional and more atmospheric. Individual tasks turn into one coherent experience.
Illustrations with their own atmosphere
Tesouro was also developed individually on a visual level. The illustrations use a warm and charming drawing style, giving the game its own distinctive atmosphere.
The characters, locations and game situations become more tangible as a result. Players can more easily immerse themselves in the story and encounter not just abstract tasks, but characters who accompany them on their treasure hunt.
For us, this is an important step in development: images are not just decoration, but part of the game experience. They support the narrative, provide orientation and make a game more emotional.
New task formats: The decoder wheel
With Tesouro, we are also testing new task formats. One special element is a small decoder wheel that is used in the game.
Players can use it to decode secret symbols and make hidden clues readable. The decoder wheel is currently still integrated externally, but in the future it is intended to be developed further as its own task type.
Elements like this are particularly exciting because they combine digital and haptic game experiences. Players do not only have to read or click; they have to combine, turn, decode and try things out themselves. This creates additional aha moments that work especially well for children, teenagers and families.
When places become stories
Tesouro once again shows how individually developed games can bring places, offers and stories to life in a special way.
A pine forest, an Atlantic coastline, a historic fortress and the legend of a pirate are not merely described in the game; they become actively experienceable. Players move from spot to spot, follow clues and discover the location through the perspective of the story.
For us, this is exactly the strength of location-based games: they connect real environments with digital storytelling. A walk, a tour or an outdoor area becomes an interactive experience.
Individual game concepts for special places and target groups
With Tesouro, we are further developing our offering in the field of individual game concepts. Whether for climbing parks, cities, tourist attractions, museums, exhibitions, educational institutions, holiday programmes or group activities – playful formats can be used in many different ways.
Depending on the target group and objective, they can become puzzle games, storytelling tours, digital scavenger hunts, learning games, team challenges or family-friendly adventures.
We support the entire process from the first idea to implementation: from story and game mechanics to puzzle development, characters, illustrations and voice recordings, all the way to technical implementation in the espoto software.
For us, Tesouro is therefore more than a single project. It is another example of how good ideas, suitable media and a special place can become an individual game experience.
Would you also like to develop your own game for your location, target group or educational offer? Then feel free to get in touch with us. Together, we will develop a game concept that fits your place, your story and your participants.
