Embedded Files
TallinnQuest is a geolocation-based mobile RPG (role-playing game) where players explore Tallinn through quests, puzzles, and Estonian mythology.
The goal: make exploring Tallinn playful, meaningful, and memorable.
Year: 2022
Type: Digital Product Design course, EKA
Team: Anette Jaaniso, Anna-Riika Jatsa
Mentors: Carol Tikerperi, Rene Rebane
Partner: Visit Tallinn
CONTEXT
Our brief from Visit Tallinn: How might we encourage tourists to stay longer in Tallinn and explore more of the city?
We approached this through our own travel experience. During a study trip to Helsinki, we were given lots of free time but little guidance. Instead of discovering the city, we ended up playing games in a café. That sparked a thought:
what if the game itself guided us through the city?
SKILLS
Game design and narrative design
Prototyping and testing (paper, Figma)
UX/UI and wireframing (Figma)
Presentation and pitching (EKA Design Showcase)
Project management and documentation
RESEARCH & FIELDWORK
Many visitors stay only 1–3 days and rarely venture beyond the Old Town.
The game gives you quests that go beyond the Old Town and help discover the city.
COMPETITORS ANALYSIS
Strengths to adopt: clear onboarding, rewarding progression, AR for exploration, humor and roleplay, short quests with visible impact.
Weaknesses to avoid: buggy experiences, poor communication, overwhelming content, confusing or cluttered UIs, battery-heavy solutions.
USER JOURNEY MAPPING
LOCATION SCOUTING
Mapped quest sites across Tallinn.
KEY INSIGHT
Tourists dislike leaving quests unfinished — keeping them engaged to the end shaped our design loop.
THE GAME
TallinnQuest is a geolocation RPG that turns Tallinn into a playable story.
Players step into the role of a Rehepapp-like character from Estonian folklore who slips into modern Tallinn. Early in the game, in Kadriorg, they build a kratt — a creature made of scraps and brought to life. From then on, the kratt is both helper and risk:
Send it on tasks → it brings back items, coupons, and new quests.
Neglect it → its danger level rises and it starts damaging your items (which function as resources).
Items themselves are needed to progress and make bargains.
CORE LOOP
Rehepapp (Farmhand trickster)
In folklore, the rehepapp was a clever and mischievous farmhand, often poor but resourceful, who used wit and trickery to outsmart wealthier landowners and even supernatural beings. He embodies survival through cunning.
Kratt (Mythical treasure-bearer)
A creature built from scraps and junk — brooms, bones, rags — and brought to life when its maker bargains their soul to the devil. The kratt is tireless, but dangerous if left idle, as it can turn destructive. It reflects both greed and the risks of ambition.
Vanapagan (The devil)
A devil figure from Estonian mythology, often portrayed as strong but foolish, easily deceived by humans. He is less about pure evil and more about clumsy authority, making him a frequent target of tricksters in tales.
THE PROTOTYPE
DEVELOPMENT
Peek behind the scenes of our design process.
Collaboration was one of the project’s strengths — we split roles naturally, kept motivation high, and built a prototype that captured both the playfulness of AR and the depth of folklore.
DESIGN SHOWCASE
This project became one of our strongest presentations and was featured in the EKA Design Showcase — a recognition of both its ambition and its cultural depth.
REFLECTION
TallinnQuest was a project of freedom and discovery. With no technological or budget limits, we experimented boldly with AR and mythology — and for me, this marked the beginning of my mythology path.
The process stretched my prototyping, research, and UI skills and showed how mechanics can tie directly to real-world behavior.
Google Sites
Report abuse