Forester’s Secret – an outdoor escape room (Idrija)

The project Forester’s Secret was developed in collaboration with Tourism Idrija with a clear goal: to create an experience that doesn’t just guide visitors through a location, but actively engages them in discovering local stories.

From the very beginning, we asked a key question. How do you design a game that works with nature – not against it?

Starting point: content and context

The project did not begin with the idea of “let’s build an escape room”, but with understanding what we want to communicate and to whom.

On one side, we worked with the client to define the key stories of Idrija worth sharing. On the other, we analysed what type of game mechanics would actually make sense in a forest environment.

Through this process, we developed a central narrative:
the character of Jakob, a forester who spent years collecting and documenting stories from Idrija. His “archive” becomes the entry point for players.

The game is therefore not a collection of random puzzles, but a structured experience where players uncover local stories through exploration.

We followed a clear methodology:

1. First: content

The story is not decoration – it is the backbone of the experience. Every task must have a reason to exist and must come from the content, not the other way around.

2. Then: mechanics

Once the story is clear, we define how users interact with it.
In this case:

• physical points in space
• exploration
• navigation
• a mix of logic and movement

3. Only then: execution

Materials, boxes, setup, game flow – all come after we understand how the player will actually experience the game.

This is the key difference: we don’t build from the outside in, but from the experience backwards.

Key decision: the forest as the game space. Once the content was clear, we searched for the right format.

Instead of a classic escape room, we designed the experience as a game in nature – a series of physical points (boxes) that players discover in the forest.

This means:

• the space is not a room, but a forest
• players don’t move between props, but through the environment
• the experience includes orientation, movement and sensory perception
• The result is an outdoor escape room, where nature is not a backdrop, but part of the gameplay.

Experience and flow

The game lasts approximately 60 minutes and is designed for groups of 2–5 players.

What makes it unique:

• players move through the forest
• they search for physical points
• they solve tasks connected to local stories
• this is not just puzzle-solving,  it is exploration

This creates:

• stronger engagement (movement, orientation, natural sounds)
• a stronger sense of adventure
• a more authentic connection to the content
• Designing for real-world use

A major part of the project was not just “what is interesting”, but what actually works in practice.

We focused on:

• simple setup
• robust solutions suitable for outdoor use
• clear game structure
• minimal complexity for operators

We also developed a game master guide, allowing the experience to be run even by someone without prior experience.

The goal was not to create a one-time experience, but a product that can be used daily without complications.

What this project demonstrates

Forester’s Secret is not a typical escape room.

It is a combination of:

• local history
• natural environment
• gamification
• physical mechanics in the field

And most importantly. Proof that an escape room can leave the room and become an experience in nature.

A great game does not come from the idea of “making something fun”, but from understanding the space, the user and the content. Only when these three elements are aligned can we create an experience that truly works – not just on paper, but in real life, every day, for different types of visitors.