To use the WHAIWHAI guide, you need to be ready for an absorbing experience in great places. The stories inside them are jumbled; you’ll be able to read them one at a time by using the codes you get when you solve the enigmas at each stage. Your experience begins when you send a WhatsApp message. You then proceed on a personal itinerary in the city you’ve chosen to explore. First, you’ll learn exciting things about certain places through the stories in the guide. Then, when you receive the clues, you’ll get to observe those places more closely as you search for the solution to the enigma. You can begin playing at any time and with any mobile phone.
To start playing, send a WhatsApp message to the number you’ll find in the guide
If you want to start right away, simply type your name. If you want a customized experience, you can also type the number of hours you want to play for, level of difficulty and where you want to start from
You’ll receive a code via WhatsApp. This code will allow you to read the first story
Only with the code will you be able to put the pieces into the correct order
Read the story and go to the place described in it
The stories are about legends, historical anecdotes and peculiar events that have happened in the city
As you’re walking to the place, you’ll receive a WhatsApp message containing an enigma
You’ll be asked to find a detail hidden somewhere among the buildings, streets and squares. You’ll have to explore the location carefully to discover the solution
Send your answer via WhatsApp message. Your adventure will continue until you solve the last mystery
You’ll get 3 tries to solve each enigma. After you go on
Each game experience lets you read about 6 stories and see 6 locations
We will remember you and lead you to different places and stories next time you play.
Alone or with friends
You can either play alone and enjoy an atypical tour of the city, or in a group. Either way, all you need is one guide and a smartphone. You can also customize your experience, choosing how long to play, which part of the city you want to start in, and whether to play at the easy or the advanced level.
Challenge
From your own sofa
If you want to live the WHAIWHAI experience from the comfort of your own home, type “sofa” in your first WhatsApp message. The game dynamic is the same, except that it will be possible to solve the enigmas without actually going to the locations. The questions you’ll need to answer will be about historical events, people and works of art in the places where the stories are set. All you need is your cultural knowledge.
The Ruyi activity is an amazing trip through one of the most mysterious cities in the world. I was taken to corners of Venice and shown sights that I never would have encountered on my own self-guided walks through the city.
Logan
Want a way to explore Rome that's part Harry Potter, part Da Vinci Code? The interactive game will have you wandering through the streets on a quest for answers to cryptic clues.
National Geographic
...the Ruyi always evades discovery. But the real treasure is in experiencing a fun new twist on sightseeing in the Eternal City.
TIME