The main goal of this thesis is answering the question: “How can immersion be achieved in an outdoor experience, using synergy between narrative, puzzles and location?”

From literature research the following definition of immersion is formed: Immersion is a state where the interactor feels as if they were located in a different reality or world with an overarching specific theme. A narrative, interactions and location each contributes to this.

To find out what the players experience during an escape room, two indoor games and two outdoor games are played and evaluated to see what does and does not work for their immersion. The main takeaway is that the narrative, and the interaction play a major part in immersion.

After finding out what is considered immersive, an outdoor escape experience is built to function as a case study. Here, designs are tested and iterated upon to find out what improves players immersion even more.

Two final tests are held to find out if the entire experience is as immersive as can be. From these tests conclusions will be drawn to see how each individual aspect of the experience influences the total experience.

The conclusion of this thesis is that there is a synergy between narrative, puzzles and location. As having a location that fits the story, or the other way around, works great for storytelling and immersion levels. Also if the puzzles have a matching theme, Players experience more immersion, fun and excitement.