Marbella Self-Guided Detective Murder Mystery Game

The case opens on the Plaza de los Naranjos, the orange-tree square in the old town of Marbella, a few steps from the Iglesia de la Encarnación. The first clue leads into the white lanes behind the square and up to what is left of the Castillo de Marbella. From there the trail drops back down through the old town: a murder mystery walking tour that you run yourself, without a guide.

The lanes are narrow, shaded and level, which keeps the walking light even in the middle of the day and makes the game easy for families with small children. A team is one to four players sharing a phone; a larger party takes a ticket for each team and the teams go their own way. Playing on your own is no problem. There is no fixed start, so you can begin in the morning or after a late lunch.

How to play

Four steps before the first clue in Marbella:

1. Book the City Game
2. Check the instructions email
3. Download the Loquiz app
4. Start playing whenever you like

The case is the murder of Balthasar. Codes have to be solved, photo tasks completed where you are standing, and the accounts of digital characters compared until one of them slips. Along the Parque de la Alameda a statement is contradicted, and on the walk down the Avenida del Mar the pieces settle into place.

Several teams playing at once turn the case into a straight competition, which is why it is often booked for teambuilding. Stop for a break, come back to it in an hour, and finish the case in Marbella at your own pace.