Client: CraveFX / BytePlus. Year: 2023. Produced through: CraveFX.
A mobile web AR treasure hunt that turns familiar places across Singapore into an expanding storyworld of Time Rifts, artefacts, and rewards.
The question
Saba's Time Quest set out to make exploration, local history, and partner activations feel like parts of one connected adventure. The experience needed to work instantly in a mobile browser, encourage players to move between real locations, and give each stop a meaningful role within an expandable narrative rather than treating AR as a standalone effect.
The approach
Players join Saba the otter after she discovers an interdimensional being in the Singapore River. Equipped with the Panoptik, Saba and the player must locate and seal unstable Time Rifts before they threaten reality. This central device gives every location, collectible, and AR encounter a clear place in the story.
A playful interactive map becomes the main navigation layer. Players move Saba between recognisable Singapore locations, including ION Orchard and Science Centre Singapore, and discover Place icons, Lost Artefacts, and partner-specific Mega Rifts. The experience is delivered through the mobile web and can be entered through the campaign site, QR-coded standees, and social media.
Lost Artefacts connect the fiction to Singapore's past and possible future, pairing collection mechanics with short educational stories. Location-based AR effects, hints from Saba, an Artefact Bag, and a Voucher Wallet turn exploration into a readable progression loop while keeping the interface approachable for casual players.
The platform was also designed to accommodate partners. Custom landmarks and Mega Rift mini-maps could bring visitors to specific destinations, while branded AR effects and retail rewards gave each activation a practical campaign role. Optional registration allowed players to retain progress and vouchers without blocking access to the core experience.
Saba carries the Panoptik, the story device used to locate and seal Time Rifts.
The interactive map connects familiar destinations, story encounters, collectibles, and rewards.
Location-specific encounters add playful AR discoveries to partner destinations.
Lost Artefacts weave Singapore's history and imagined future into the collection loop.
The Artefact Bag gives players a clear record of discoveries made across the map.
Voucher rewards connect Saba's adventure to offers from participating partners.
Reflection
The project demonstrates how an original character and a flexible quest system can turn separate destinations into one coherent world. Delivering the experience through the mobile web lowered the barrier to entry, while the map, narrative, collectibles, and rewards created enough structure for the platform to expand with new places and partners.
Credits
Created by CraveFX in conjunction with BytePlus. Key partners included ION Orchard and Science Centre Singapore.