Magic Portal: a family adventure on the streets of Krakow

Magic Portal is an augmented reality city game designed for children aged 7 to 12. A team has one to six players, gets an iPad with a map and spends about 120 minutes walking a route of up to 3.5 km towards Wawel. The start and finish are at Gamescape, ul. Kościuszki 74. The operator rates the difficulty at 4/10, and you can play the game in English too.

It’s an idea for a family walk where the children have a real mission. Instead of asking every few minutes where exactly you’re going, they can follow the tasks one by one and find their way to the end of the story. The adults get a fun, if sometimes tricky, role: helping without solving everything for the youngest players.

The story of a sleepyhead

In the fantasy tale behind Magic Portal there are three worlds. One belongs to humans. The second is a land of magic and harmony. The third is home to dangerous creatures that would love to cross the border.

The worlds are connected by portals that work like doors. One of the passages is guarded by a friendly gnome, and special crystals help keep it shut. The guardian has one weakness, though: he loves to sleep. While he’s napping, someone steals the crystals, opening the way for unwelcome guests.

The team’s job is to find the crystals scattered around Krakow and close the portal. This is the game’s fantasy story, not a historical Krakow legend. The danger is fairy-tale style: the operator’s description mentions trolls and other creatures that have already made it across to our side. If your child tends to take themes like this to heart, tell them what the story is about beforehand.

How does a walk around the city become a game?

The game takes place outdoors. Each team gets an iPad with a map and GPS for the duration of the game, which leads you to the next points with tasks. Augmented reality adds digital elements of the story to the view of your surroundings, and it works without a headset, on the tablet screen. You can call up a hint in the app, so if you get stuck, there’s no need to go looking for anyone.

You don’t have to stare at the screen the whole time. Your surroundings matter too, and so does what the other players notice. Before you set off, find out how to use the equipment and how to contact staff if a technical problem comes up.

The route and booking details are on the Magic Portal page at Gamescape. The page doesn’t say whether a child can play without an adult, what happens if it rains, or whether the route can be done with a pushchair. Check those three things with the staff before you choose a date.

Is this game right for your group?

The age range in the description is only the start. Three questions can help:

• Can your child walk about 3.5 km in two hours, with stops for tasks? If not, consider a shorter route.
• Can they read on their own? A younger child may need help with the task texts, while an older one will more often manage alone and will happily take charge of the tablet.
• Do they enjoy fantasy danger? The trolls in the game are part of a fairy tale, but not every child likes running away from monsters, even virtual ones.

If the answer to the first question is “probably not”, there are two calmer options. Treasure Hunters is a family iPad game that takes 90 minutes and follows a route of about 2 km along the Rudawa river, also with a difficulty of 4/10. Krakow Legends runs in an app on your own phone, has no time limit or fixed start time, and lets you take breaks. It’s a good choice when the youngest child sets the pace of the day.

Children lead, adults help

Imagine your child spots a detail but can’t yet connect it to the task. Instead of pointing straight to the answer, you could ask: “What do we know so far?” or “Where did we see something like this?”. A question like that leaves room for them to make the discovery themselves.

With siblings, it helps to take turns handling the tablet and reading the tasks. An older child can help a younger one read the text, and the younger one might spot something the others missed. There’s no need to turn this teamwork into a contest for the title of best player.

If someone’s getting tired, it’s worth noticing. Finishing a puzzle shouldn’t matter more than everyone feeling OK. It’s best to check the rules on breaks, and how a stop affects the game, with the staff before you set off.

What to pack for a magical expedition?

First, some completely non-magical things: water, comfortable shoes and clothes that suit the forecast. On a two-hour walk with children, a small snack can come in handy. Also allow time for the briefing before the start and for getting back to the finish on Kościuszki, where the game ends.

Magic Portal doesn’t have to be a creativity lesson or a fitness test. It can simply give you a reason to go for a walk together and something to talk about along the way. And at the end there’s just one question left: will the gnome keep a closer eye on his crystals this time?