If you enjoy solving puzzles, or are looking for something to do this weekend, put Mission SG: Operation Broken Oath at Singapore Discovery Centre on your list. It’s perfect for families, friends, and even for your year-end team-building. Plus, you can use your SG Culture Pass for this activity, which makes this exciting adventure completely free.
Mission SG: Operation Broken Oath is an immersive experience that’ll see you become a National Intelligence Unit agent, during a simulated national crisis, to uncover the identity of a mole. There are 11 missions to get through, which will challenge you and your team as you try to beat the clock and save the day. If you’re planning on bringing your kids, it’s recommended for those aged 7 years old and up.
The experience brings you through the Through the Lens of Time and Sandbox exhibits at the Permanent Exhibit Gallery, where you’ll learn more about our nation’s stories – maybe even discovering new facts – while building teamwork and using your problem-solving skills.
The Mission SG game starts with Void Deck Cat, a WhatsApp AI chatbot that will be your guide for the quest. It will give you instructions to navigate the Singapore Discovery Centre and also provide you with hints when needed.
Multiple visitors can join the Void Deck Cat chat, so everyone in the team can see the clues for the missions on their own phones and solve them together. When you figure out the answers, one person from the team can send them to the chat.
After joining the chat, you’ll be introduced to the rules of the mission. Being one of the first messages you’ll receive, it’s easy to forget about the penalties that come with incorrect answers. P.S.: Every hint that you request will cost you extra minutes too.
With only 2 hours on the clock, you and your team must solve each mission quickly and correctly, to intercept communications between the mole and the terrorist.
While most of the clues are inside the Through the Lens of Time and Sandbox exhibits at the Permanent Exhibit Gallery, there are also some near the entrance of the Singapore Discovery Centre – here’s a hint for you.
Directions to the clue locations are pretty straightforward if you follow the Void Deck Cat. You’ll receive simple instructions on where to head, what you’ll walk past, and certain landmarks around you.
When you enter the Permanent Exhibit Gallery, the instructions will slowly lead you through the exhibition, where you’ll go through different zones, including Enduring Scars of War, Relentless Sabotage, The Road to Independence, and Strength of the Nation.
These zones focus on different parts of Singapore’s stories, such as the Japanese Occupation and the Macdonald House bombing, with missions linked to each zone. As you solve the puzzles, you’ll also be learning about Singapore’s stories.
However, you might find that looking for the clues requires some serious searching. Some clues might be hanging from the ceiling, while others might just be hidden in plain sight.
Once you find what you’re looking for, it’s time to decode the clues. Decoding them needs some thinking – not too difficult, but also not as easy as hide and seek. You will be required to find pictures, words, and even decipher a Morse code. Most require basic maths and unscrambling letters to form words.
Along the way, the Void Deck Cat will also share some facts about the mission or zone. It’s an engaging way to pick up fun facts along the journey.
Here’s a fact: Did you know that the MacDonald House bombing was only 1 of at least 42 bomb attacks Singapore went through during Konfrontasi between 1963 and 1966?
Although finishing the mission is important, you should have fun as well – you might’ve travelled a long way to get here, and you are in the Through the Lens of Time and Sandbox exhibits after all.
There are photospots, hands-on game experiences, and even a room where you can learn more about the Japanese Occupation through a film – Days of Darkness, during which you can experience the atrocities of the war, and life during those dark days, through the eyes of a young girl – viewer discretion is advised.
There are also artefacts displayed throughout the exhibition, such as a WW2 uniform, a book with Singapore’s annual report from 1958 and 1959, and a music score of our national anthem.
After going through Mission SG myself, here are some tips and tricks that will help you complete it too:
Remembering the penalties will ensure that you don’t make any careless mistakes. Every wrong answer incurs a 5-minute penalty. If you really need to, you can request a hint when you send the word “stuck” to the Void Deck Cat. Bring along a pen and some paper to help you visualise your workings, as you would need to unscramble letters and even solve a crossword puzzle. You can also use your Notes app if you don’t have stationery with you.
Lastly, read the questions carefully. The questions are quite detailed, and the Void Deck Cat will only accept the correct answers. You don’t want to risk a penalty with a wrong answer either.
The Mission SG programme was originally planned to run from 1st September to 31st December 2025. But due to the positive response it’s received, it’s now an ongoing programme that will run at the Singapore Discovery Centre.
The Singapore Discovery Centre is open from 12pm to 6pm, with last entry at 5.30pm, on weekdays; and 11am to 7pm, with last entry at 6.30pm, on weekends, public holidays, and school holidays. Completing the Mission SG programme would take around 2 hours, so make sure to give yourself enough time.
Tickets to the Mission SG exhibition are $25/pax – the best part: it’s free when you redeem it with your SG Culture Pass credits.
Whether or not you learn anything new from this experience, Mission SG: Operation Broken Oath brings life to the historic exhibits at the Singapore Discovery Centre. But hopefully, it also opens your eyes to the lesser known stories of Singaporeans in the past, and how you can play a part in protecting our home for the future.
This post was brought to you by Singapore Discovery Centre and Defence Collective Singapore.
Photography by: Thea Imelda Koh
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