After falling in love with Silent Hill f, I was on the lookout for other horror games that fit a certain narrative. One of the aspects I enjoyed about that game was its connection to Japanese spiritualism. So, I wanted to see if other games had horror elements that tied to the culture of a country. That led me to Apartment No. 129, a Turkish horror game that takes inspiration from an apparent urban legend. This game has some genuine jump scares and uses religion in interesting ways. But its release on consoles might not be the best place to play it.
What happened at this apartment complex?
Apartment No. 129 focuses on an abandoned apartment complex. This happened back in 2009, and the reasons for its evacuation are unclear. Rumors have it that it was the Epicenter of an Earthquake, but no records exist of one ever taking place. On top of that, the location of the complex was never made public, so its existence is hard to prove.
Your character is an aspiring Content Creator. They get a tip from a family friend that they’ve located the building and encourage you to check it out. Your character is skeptical at first, but decides to check it out. Once you arrive, it’s clear that something strange has taken place there.
Once at the complex, you begin to explore its deserted rooms and start to piece together things. It’s not long, though, until you discover that you’re now trapped there as well. Only by following the instructions left on mysterious pieces of paper will you be able to escape.
Islam in video games
Yes, the idea of a haunted building isn’t original. But what stood out for me here is how this game incorporates the writings of the Quran and Islam into its story. Most horror games tend to focus on European or East Asian mythology. Using the teachings of Islam in a video game is a new experience, at least for me.
The game focuses on Islam’s teachings around trying to ‘outsmart’ or ‘defy’ Allah and His rules. Turkey is an interesting nation when it comes to religion. Yes, it’s an Islamic country, but it’s also well known as a very secular nation. Your character makes it clear early on that he’s an Atheist. This skepticism around religion plays a factor in later parts of the game.
The game isn’t focusing on Turkey’s handling of its secular culture. Instead, the focus is on the people at the complex and how their actions impact the other tenants. The events center around a group of girls, but they also involve other residents. We learn how the events would have gone had people followed Allah’s teachings.
Short playthrough with tense moments and annoying controls
The game’s runtime is around 2 hours, so I’ll avoid too many specific plot points. This game doesn’t rely on too much combat. You do gain access to a firearm early on, but there are only a few sections where you use it. For most of the game, you spend it completing puzzles and looking for items to progress the story.
In the few sections where a weapon is necessary, you will encounter some freaky moments. The few times when a ghost-like character popped up on the screen, it caught me off guard. I was hoping for more of these. At the same time, too many of these would also make later ones not have the same impact.
But even with some tense situations, the game has issues. The graphics are clunky, and the game doesn’t have much for you to explore. That includes part of the complex that you have no reason to check out. Yet, my biggest gripe is with the game’s controls. I never got the hang of them. I played the game on a PlayStation 5, but this was first a PC game, released in 2024. Because of that, the controls are the game’s weakest aspect.
Strange control choices
My problems with the controller began the moment I started exploring. As soon as you begin exploring, the controls feel off. Thankfully, you can adjust the controls, and I recommend you do so. You will also want to change the game’s look sensitivity. For some reason, this is set to max. So, when you begin to look around with the right analog stick, your view goes all over the place.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with the game. I didn’t know why my camera was jumping around like that when moving with the right analog stick. For some reason, look snesitivity it set to max. If you change this to 1.2 or thereabouts, it’s a lot better. Unfortunately, this sensitivity doesn’t impact puzzles. So, when you’re doing a puzzle, you have the opposite problem: the cursor doesn’t move fast enough.
Puzzles involve interacting with objects, such as entering passcodes. Here, the cursor moves at a snail’s pace, and I couldn’t find a way to make this move faster. It’s clear that if you have a mouse, you can punch in the numbers faster. On PS5, you interact with your inventory using the touchpad. This wasn’t a problem, but I don’t know how you interact with it on Xbox Series X|S.
I also found it cumbersome to navigate the game’s menus. There is no easy way to back out of menus. You’d expect the O (circle) button to serve as the back button, but that’s not the case. It would be nice if this gets fixed in the future, but it shouldn’t have been a problem to begin with.
Interesting story, play it on PC
Basing the game only on the game’s story, Apartment No. 129 is a good experience. Even with the B-grade FMV acting at the start and end of the game, the religious connections kept me engaged. If only the game’s controls were better, this would be an easier game to recommend. You’re better off playing this on PC instead of on Consoles.
