A hundred years from now, the world is still recovering from The Windfall, a series of catastrophic natural events that lead to 83% of flora and fauna to become extinct. In the wastelands of what was once our city, lies the sanctuary of the Adelaide Botanic Garden where research and technology are finding ways to slowly re-establish plant life to save humanity. When lead researcher Dr Victor Hale (Nick Phillips) is murdered, we follow police detective Lila Gardener (Amy Maiden) into the Garden to uncover the truth. This is our starting point for one of three self-guided walking tours being presented by Electric Dreams and the Dutch Kills Theater Company. Using our phone and headphones, this full-cast audio play maps out a path through the Garden as we trace the murder alongside the detective. There’s no guesswork on our part: we are guided by GAIA, the Garden Artificial Intelligence Assistant (Anna O’Byrne), who helps to oversee all the research. It’s a clever and fun way to follow along with the story and explore the Garden simultaneously. Standing alongside landmarks that are referred to in the play allows us to picture the events unfold in our mind’s eye. The cast of 11 actors are great, with very distinct characterisations that we quickly learn to love, hate or distrust. Across 9 scenes, they act out the plot and we follow along easily thanks to Asa Wember’s clear directions and Alexander Silber’s smart, sharp dialogue. A fine selection of original music by Wet Hands and other additional music adds to the experience and keeps you company as you walk between scenes. For hot days, there’s plenty of shade on this tour, and bench seating is available at most locations to rest if needed. If there’s one fault, it’s the lack of a fast forward option on each scene recording. If you let the dialogue run in the background while you do something else on your phone – such as take notes for a review (!) – the app boots you out. Upon logging back in, you have to start the scene from the beginning again. When you’re three-quarters through a 15-minute scene in a location without seating, it’s not a pleasant user experience. Given Electric Dreams’ wonderful grasp of technology in presenting unique forms of entertainment, this is a surprising oversight knowing the general addiction to social media that many punters might have. Glitches aside, it takes approximately 90 minutes to complete the story and walking tour however, it can be completed at your own pace any time between 7.30am to 6pm on the day of the booking, regardless of the session time booked. Unlike the collection of short stories in Whisper Walk, GAIA is a single murder mystery play set in a future that is bleak but full of hope. And what an exciting new way it is to explore our city.