Lost tapes, missing people, and repeating someone’s name in a mirror besides Michael Keaton’s and you pretty much have the blueprints for an urban myth. Transport the locale to Turkey, an abandoned apartment complex, and a protagonist who struggles with boxes, and the outcome will be Apartment No. 129, from Dead Witness Studio, for the PS5.
A first-person horror, you play as content creator Emir, who has a penchant for the peculiar but is a bit of a cynic and a natural atheist. He doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but he does believe in people. We’re introduced to him via FMV. Without speaking Turkish, I can’t tell if the actors were any good, but based on the translation, exposition, and sound quality, I’d say this was their first attempt.
In short, a couple of girls go missing on the top floor of an apartment building, linked to that rascal, Satan. When it all kicked off, the residents said they felt an earthquake, but when reviewing seismic activity, there wasn’t one, and eventually the story faded into obscurity and became an urban myth. How do we know this? It’s in the credits and opening film.
Apartment No. 129 is based on an alleged real event (emphasis on urban legend – there’s no proof). This all happened in 2009, and when the tale died down, it was assumed the building had been demolished and forgotten about. However, it still exists, and Emir’s cousin tells him of the location, egging him on to go check it out (alone), so that he can create some exclusive content. Famous last words.
Beginning with an FMV, the action shifts to a first-person view in a Silent Hill-like apartment building. Visibility is incredibly limited, so a torch is provided, giving it that slight Outlast aesthetic. So far, the visuals are decent, but moving your gaze over points of interest will flash up a tiny bit of text that was hard to read on a 55inch telly. And while having a moan, the default sensitivity of the controllers was mental and had to be adjusted immediately.
As the atmosphere is building up, there’s an element of unspoken dread. Sure, there are repeat assets, and there’s a fair amount of objects that are directing you where ‘you’re supposed to go’ until you reach actual objects that need moving. Boxes in front of a doorway are a little silly, and based on their weight appearance, empty. Either boot them out of the way or knock past them. Instead, you have to pick up each box and move out of the way. I’m getting a whiff of a walking simulator.
So far, so predictable; however, there are weapons available and therefore some combat.Phew! Apart from the kind of combination locks seen in The Last Case of John Morley, Apartment No. 129 is mostly about finding notes, clues and lore to build a bigger picture. Storytelling-wise, this is good and does create a decent presence of dread, more so when you’re walking about with your gun out. Not a euphemism. Don’t get excited, though, as this isn’t an FPS, and the actual combat is awkward and very forgettable.
There are a lot of religious themes here. As a Turkish game, there’s quite a bit on Islam and really interesting to experience, and so much different from games in the same genre – almost always favouring a Far Eastern tale as opposed to one set in Turkey. But Apartment No. 129 isn’t a sightseeing experience, and there’s a constant feeling that a jumpscare is imminent, and when they don’t happen, it’s so much better as your mind fills in the blanks.
Yet as a gamer, it leaves more to be desired, and it resorts back to a walking simulator with survival horror elements, a.k.a., limited ammo. Visually, it looks the part, no doubt supported by the lighting, though as a font whore, seeing all the text in an incredibly small font and all centred was uglier than the animal’s bones you find throughout the corridors.
What’s more alarming is the Scooby Doo element of the game. FMV in games is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but the later reveals basically serve everything up on a plate for you dissect with ease. IT sort of undoes the whole setup for me and spoiled it. When I studied film, one of the takeaways was show, don’t tell. There’s too much telling here, and as a result, almost insinuates a complete dumbing down for the player. Then again, that’s subjective. Perhaps you didn’t get any iffy vibes from the very first scene and predicted where this was going? Either way, Apartment No. 129 is visually pleasing, but less satisfying as a gameplay/spectator experience.
