In 1951, a box that Víctor Balaguer had ordered to remain sealed for fifty years was finally opened. Inside were seven books. Six told the story of his life. The seventh was completely blank.

The 7th Book turns this real event, which took place in Vilanova i la Geltrú, into an investigation you must solve in person, out on the streets, while deciding whether the secret hidden in that book should come to light, or stay in the dark forever.

The Challenge

The European Med Gaims call was looking for gamified tourism proposals for cities across five Mediterranean countries, with a clear goal: to move away from seasonal tourism and give people reasons to visit these cities outside peak season. In Catalonia, the chosen city was Vilanova i la Geltrú, led by the innovation office Neapolis and coordinated by the Fundació i2CAT.

The experience had to be built around real historical figures and specific heritage sites that the local council wanted to bring to the fore, within a narrative framework already in place: the Agència dels Secrets, a fictional detective organisation that investigates the city’s hidden mysteries.

Cubus Games took on the development, working alongside a team of university professors and researchers, Neapolis, and the Fundació i2CAT, through to the launch in the summer of 2022.

The Solution

The Concept

Víctor Balaguer, a 19th-century politician and intellectual from Vilanova i la Geltrú, left behind a sealed box with instructions that it should not be opened until fifty years after his death. When it was finally unsealed, there were seven books inside. Six told the story of his life. The seventh was blank.

That’s where the whole plot begins: the book wasn’t empty — someone had stolen its contents and replaced it with a blank copy. As a detective for the Agència dels Secrets, you must track it down and decide what to do with what you find: if you’re holding an important secret, do you reveal it or keep it to yourself? The Agència dels Secrets wants it out in the open. Stirge, the rival sect, wants it for themselves. All of it wrapped in the atmosphere of a classic detective novel, somewhere between Agatha Christie and noir cinema.

Gameplay

The game begins wherever you are, but before long it asks something unusual of you: to physically make your way to Vilanova i la Geltrú. Once there, you’ll need to visit real locations around the city, such as the maritime museum Espai Far, the library, and the market, to keep moving forward.

Some puzzles are solved using elements found physically in these locations: a piece inside a museum display case, a symbol hidden in a floor tile at the market. When creating your character, you choose whether you are male or female and pick a key trait, such as strength or intelligence, which opens up a different path for solving certain obstacles.

If you lose a life in combat or a chase, the game isn’t over: you can recover it by stopping at one of the bars and restaurants around the city that took part in the project. And at the end comes the big decision: who do you hand the contents of the seventh book to — the Agència or Stirge? That’s where the two possible endings come from.

Characters

The protagonist is a detective from the Agència dels Secrets, playable as either male or female. Around them are Joan Oliva, Balaguer’s trusted assistant; a descendant of Balaguer’s who helps with the investigation; and Francesc Gomà, a friend of Balaguer’s and the driving force behind Vilanova’s first railway line. Also featured are the Rossell sisters, local schoolteachers, who were added because none of the historical figures they were given were women.

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Art and Narrative

The game is drawn in black and white, with red as the only accent colour, in the style of noir comics. Víctor Balaguer, Joan Oliva, and the Museu del Ferrocarril were illustrated from real photographs and historical references.

Impact

Those who have played it give it a very positive response: it’s an experience that surprises people by going well beyond what they expected from a tourism game, and it leaves a lasting memory of their visit to Vilanova i la Geltrú. True to the goal it was built around, The 7th Book takes players through the city on foot, uncovering corners and historical figures they would never have come across on a conventional tourist visit.