A PDF / Text
A set of puzzles (questions, hints, and answers)
Multiple-choice with three options, one of which is correct. Around 10 puzzles is a good starting point.
PROJECT RECIPE / No. 02
Mystery game at a roadside station
Turn the brief stop at a roadside station or tourist spot into a multi-hour visit through a mystery game. Combine paper flyers with smartphones to drive visits to shops and restaurants — set up in as little as 60 minutes.
TIME
~60 min
Excludes puzzle creation
LEVEL
★★★
Some prep required
PLAN
¥4,400/mo+
Free to try, too
SCALE
Any size
Any scale
#mystery-game #dwell-time #roadside-station #tourism #regional
01 — For Whom
Who this is for
01
Want to draw visitors with a mystery game
People will travel from far away if there's a mystery game to play. Great for new visitors at roadside stations, shopping streets, or theme parks.
02
Want to extend dwell time
Mystery game participants stay for several hours — exploring the shopping floors and using restaurants during breaks. In the live "Ikai Hunter Exam" example, about 75% of Season 1 players stayed 2–5 hours, and some spent several days touring Tono.
03
Want to turn dwell time into sales
Longer stays naturally increase visits to fresh-produce stands, gift shops, soft-serve counters, and restaurants.
02 — Materials
Materials
2 ITEMS / ALL OPTIONAL
B PNG / JPG
Digital-item images for correct answers
Prepare images such as stamps or coins to track the number of correct answers.
Recommended: 340 × 340 px or larger
03 — Steps
How to build
5 STEPS / ~53 min
Log in to T&T, complete basic setup, then click 'New' under the 'Items' menu to begin.
01
Register the reward item
From Admin → Items → New, register the item that correct solvers will receive. Choose 'Credit' as the type, upload the image from material B, and save.
1 min Admin Material B
02
Register the answer choices
From Admin → Events → New, register each answer option. Name events like 'Question 1, Choice A'.
1 min Admin Material A
03
Set answer limits and rewards
In the event settings, find 'Check-in limit' and set the per-user maximum to
- Then under 'Reward item', select the item (Credit) created in Step 1 and enter how many points to award per correct answer. Incorrect choices need no reward setting. Click 'Save changes'.
1 min
04
Repeat for each question and choice
Repeat Steps 2–3 for every question and choice. With ten three-choice questions, you'll create thirty events in total.
30 min
05
Build a webpage that lists the answer URLs
Each event generates an answer URL. List all thirty URLs on a website (or a single web page) so participants can submit their answers.
20 min
READY?
Launch in 30 minutes
with T&T.
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04 — FAQ
FAQ
9 ITEMS
Q.01 Do participants need to install an app? −
No. Answers can be submitted from a smartphone browser. Just scan a QR code on a flyer or follow a URL provided by the organizer.
Q.02 How should we design on-site hints? +
Use real-world scenery or objects as clues, or post printed hints around the location. Avoid giving the answer directly — provide 'a clue to solve the puzzle' instead.
Q.03 Can rewards be tiered by the number of correct answers? +
Yes. Users can check the items they've earned from T&T's 'Bag' screen. Using the reward item, you can set thresholds (e.g.
X points or more, Y items or more) to grade rewards after the mystery game ends.
Q.04 Can people who can't visit in person also participate online? +
Yes. If you place all hints online, the entire event can run remotely. T&T itself works fully online.
Q.05 Can cheating (e.g. asking friends for answers) be prevented? +
Online controls can limit answer count and timing, but offline collusion can't be prevented entirely. Ask participants to play in good faith as part of the event etiquette.
Q.06 How many participants can it support? +
There are no fixed caps on items or events. For simple mystery games, the free Basic plan is enough. If you also distribute and operate NFTs, the first 30 are free; 31 or more require a paid plan.
Q.07 How long do participants stay and play? +
In the live "Ikai Hunter Exam" Season 1, the median time from check-in to finish was about three hours (75% finished within 2–5 hours). We recommend presenting it as a half-day activity and stating "about 3–4 hours (including sightseeing and breaks)."
Q.08 Do people stick with it to the end, or drop off partway? +
In the currently running Season 1, the completion rate is holding at a high level of over 80%. Combining three-choice answers, on-site hints, and tiered rewards based on correct answers keeps players engaged to the end. Sending a hint via LINE to anyone still unfinished a few hours after check-in further reduces drop-off.
Q.09 How should we set the puzzle difficulty? +
Puzzles that are neither too easy nor obvious — where the choices split evenly — create the most excitement. In the live example, placing a deliberate "trap" in the early questions deepened immersion. For the questions people stumble on most, a thorough follow-up explanation afterward boosts satisfaction.
05 — Case Study
Tono Folktales × Mystery — Ikai Hunter Exam
A full-scale mystery event hosted at the "Kaze no Oka" roadside station in Tono, Iwate, that keeps participants engaged for several hours across 5 locations citywide. Operated with paper kits and T&T's answer system, running year-round. Season 1 is currently underway, and on average more than 80% of participants complete the course.
Match wits with otherworlders
using insight and your own two feet.
A year-long mystery game set in the world of Tono Monogatari, based at the "Kaze no Oka" and "Denshoen" facilities, with hints placed at 5 locations throughout the city. Participants buy a 1,500-yen mystery kit and submit multiple-choice answers from their smartphone. Based on the number of correct answers, they earn an "Ikai Hunter License" at three tiers — Junior, Senior, or Special. All participants receive a pin badge, and correct solvers receive an NFT of the spirit beast Izuna. Season 1 is currently underway, and on average more than 80% of participants complete the course, spending over three hours from check-in to finish at the roadside station and other facilities around the city.
- Organizer
- Ikai Hunter Association (Tono Furusato Shosha × Tales & Tokens)
- Industry
- Tourism / Regional revitalization
- Scale
- Year-round / 5 locations citywide
- Modules
- Multiple-choice quiz, tiered rewards, pin-badge exchange, NFT distribution
80.2 %
Completion rate (Season 1, in progress)
3 h
Median dwell time (from check-in)
100+ players
Season 1 participants (ongoing)
T&T DASHBOARD
When players are active
* From T&T dashboard analytics. Share of check-ins by hour (%, Season 1 / ongoing).
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18+
About 60% of activity concentrates between noon and 3 p.m., then tapers off naturally in the evening — a comfortable flow of visitors aligned with Tono's sightseeing and facility hours. Organizers can track these trends in real time on the T&T dashboard and use them to fine-tune guidance and hint delivery.
06 — Voices
User voices
"
「Mystery-lovers from all across Japan have been flocking to Kaze no Oka in Tono to play the "Ikai Hunter Exam." We can feel a new wind blowing through.」
Naoji Kihara
Executive Officer, Tono Furusato Shosha
07 — PRODUCED BY T&T
If you'd like to plan the whole thing together
The "Ikai Hunter Exam" case study above is actually planned and produced by us, Tales & Tokens. From worldbuilding and puzzle writing to on-site hint design, building the answer system, and data analysis, we can partner with you on the whole mystery-game service itself.
How we can help
01
Concept & planning
We draw out the story of your region or facility and design the full visitor flow.
02
Puzzle & scenario writing
We help with difficulty balance, clever "traps," and immersive storytelling.
03
System build
We build the answer system on T&T and hand it over ready to operate.
04
Data analysis & proposals
We analyze your T&T dashboard data and propose improvements to difficulty and visitor flow.
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