Back to work

Escape Liège

A mobile app for an urban escape game, already used by over a hundred players.

Project type
Developing a mobile application
Client's need
Turn a paper-based experience into an immersive mobile experience.
Escape Liège app home screen, available in French, English, Dutch and GermanChoosing an urban escape game scenario in the Escape Liège appEntering a booking number to join an Escape Liège gameMessage from the Professor Pick Khôle character who starts the adventureGame in progress with timer and clues to solve puzzles across Liège

The context

The client, already active in the escape game industry, had decided to launch a new experience: an urban escape game through Liège, combining puzzles, local heritage, and tasting stops along the way. The whole thing ran on a paper roadbook found inside a can, with QR codes linking out to external web pages to validate each puzzle.

The problem

That paper format held the experience back in several ways: no automatic answer validation, an immersion-breaking jump to an external web page for every QR code, and a group dynamic where only one person actually followed the roadbook while everyone else just tagged along. There was also no way to see real-time progress, or to evolve the game without reprinting the materials.

The thinking

Rather than a simple digital version of the roadbook, this needed an app built for the field, for group play, and for multiple languages, with progress synced live across a team's phones, and an architecture flexible enough to support other scenarios beyond the Escape Beer down the line. With no mockups from the client, I also took on the full design of the app.

The solution

I designed, built, and deployed the app and its custom backend: real-time sync between teammates, automatic session recovery after a dropped connection or dead battery, automatic reservation imports, cultural content woven into the route, and an immersive messaging system voiced by Professor Pick Khôle. All available in 4 languages from launch.

The result

A far more immersive, collaborative experience with no more jumping between paper and browser, and a technical foundation ready for new scenarios. Since launch, over a hundred players have used it in real conditions, without a single technical incident.

A word from Professor Pick Khôle

“Staring at my app without installing it? Careless. Scan the code, grab a beer, and prove your brain cells can handle the streets of Liège!”

Available on the stores

App Store Google Play

What if it were your business?

The same principles could be used for:

  • a booking or ticketing application
  • an interactive visitor trail
  • a training or client-tracking application
  • an internal mobile tool for field teams

Have an idea or a problem to solve?

Let's talk about it, no strings attached.

Let's talk about your project Book a call

You'll hear back from me, personally.
Reply within 24 to 48 hours, free and no-obligation first conversation.