On Bank Holiday Monday we spent a couple of hours in Norwich doing something interesting and fun, and, most unusually, for a limited time at least, FREE!
Georgie at Eastern Quest got in touch with us a while back and asked if we’d like to test a ‘real-world city exploration’ game they’d created. Think part walking tour, part escape room.
Georgie told us: “All my games are specific to each location, and show players the best of the city, whilst offering a fun plot to engage with. Players also solve challenges along the way.”
Sounded right up our street(s)!
Easter Quest’s first Norwich game (A Stranger in Norwich) is still in testing (beta) mode, which means it is free to play for a limited time, before it launches properly this summer.
Our Experience
We love the idea of this. We’ve always maintained that walking a city is the best way to experience it and this interactive format adds a level of fun beyond the usual facts and history that accompany walking tours, which make it suitable for the whole family. Once our 11 year old discovered that you earned XP points for solving clues and that there was a leaderboard, that was it. He marched us round the city like a person possessed.
13 ‘clues’ took us from the Halls, down Elm Hill to Norwich Cathedral, down to Bishopgate, along the river and back to the Cathedral, up to Norwich Castle, past the Market to the Guildhall and eventually to the finish (we won’t spoil the end by telling you where). We covered over 2.5 miles of Norwich streets and it took us just over an hour (we really were dragged at a pace though – if you were minded to do the route in a more leisurely fashion, you have up to 100 minutes). It was fun. It was interesting. We liked the little tale that accompanied the activity. And we learned a few interesting things that we didn’t know already.
We solved all the clues correctly – mostly the first time, and finished on a total score of 400 XP points. The app told us we ‘finished the game in style’. Nice.
We parked at St Andrew’s car park to do this activity as it’s close to the start at The Halls. Afterwards we rewarded our efforts with breakfast at the Cinema City Bar and Restaurant (which we’d also recommend – have you seen their menu lately? YUM).
How To Play
All you need to do is download the free Questo App, then download the game (A Stranger in Norwich), get yourself to the starting point (The Halls), and start playing. It takes around 1-1.5 hours to complete.
Final Thoughts
This is a clever and entertaining way to enjoy and engage with Norwich and its history, while getting active. What’s not to like? Thanks Georgie and Eastern Quest!
