Welcome to the world of 404.
A mysterious book arrives, sent a by a shadowy organisation. Who are The Republic? What do they want you to know? And why have they chosen you?
404 is an interactive escape-room style puzzle book which allows solvers to explore a dystopian society not so far from our own.
We’ve been working for months to create unique, enigmatic and – in some cases – hidden puzzles to create a book that will test, entertain and puzzle our online backers. 404 is futuristic in much of its design and speculative narrative, but some of the early inspiration behind the 60+ puzzles in the book came from Plato’s Republic – any fans of Greek philosophy might see some familiar ideas woven into the complex and one-of-a-kind conundrums included in the pages. There’s no need to brush up on your ancient Greek though – English will do just fine.
Every numbered puzzle, when solved, results in a code that can be typed into the 404 website which will reveal whether the solution is correct, and sometimes additional story elements from the world of 404. Although an internet connection isn’t necessary to solve the puzzles in the book, we hope that solvers enjoy peeling back the layers of the world of 404 online. The puzzles become increasingly tricky as the book progresses, although we’re hoping the solvers find themselves getting into ‘404 mode’ and becoming more and more adept at spotting hidden instructions and details along the way. All the puzzles are designed to be solvable without hints, but hints will be available on the website for those who want a nudge.
Publishing the book ourselves has meant we’ve been able to play, create and rule-bend in order to devise something non-traditional and entirely with our solvers in mind. We’re thrilled to have been funded by backers from all over the world, and we can’t wait to share this project with them.
Final orders can be placed via Indiegogo here – your last chance to be involved in the world of 404.
Do you dare join The Republic?
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