Perplex City was the world’s longest running Alternate Reality Game – a murder mystery treasure hunt that sent thousands of players around the world in search of a buried artefact, with a £100,000 reward for whoever got there first. (Well done Andy Darley.)
“A media and game-playing phenomenon”
Der Spiegel
The story followed the investigation into the ‘Receda Cube’s’ disappearance, told from the points of view of several characters in Perplex City. Fortunately, they could tap into our media even if they couldn’t reach our world in person: they wrote online diaries, posted videos of themselves, appealed for help, and kept us all informed of the latest developments.
Along the way, clues and revelations were hidden in every medium available: weblogs, newspapers, magazines, posters, cinema trailers, secret messages on music CDs, maps, phone calls, SMSs, radio broadcasts, podcasts, sky writing, emails, computer games, puzzles (offline and online), videos, direct mail, scavenger hunts, audio drama and Morse code flashed to the London Eye.
“They create a constant sense amongst players that literally anything is possible”
The Guardian
For 18 months, I was one of four writers working on the game. As time went on, I found myself taking on more and more production duties as well, directing and producing video and audio content and mucking in at live events in London and San Francisco.
The game also crossed storylines with Frozen Indigo Angel, bringing an incredibly detailed world to a mainstream audience.
Perplex City really was a groundbreaking game, and it drew a devoted following. It won the Origin Vanguard Innovative Game Award and created headlines around the world…
“As a form of escapism, it is hard to beat”
Sunday Times
(Those of you looking for our unofficial celebration of the Restitution of the Cube may want to click here. Caine has been busy. There are also other wonderful Restitution contributions from Kurt, Violet and Scarlet.)
David Varela 