2006 · Motion Blur · Adventure · Horror

Kabus 22

Kabus 22 is a horror–action game set in Kadiköy district in Istanbul. The player takes control of three characters; the Turkish soldier Demir, his girlfriend Ebru and the mysterious Inzar. These characters have to fight against a despot religious order and creatures which are named Maduns in an alternate near future.

Released: 25 December 2006
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure Horror Third-person shooter
Developers: Motion Blur
Publishers: Vestel
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Horror
Engine: Gamestudio
Country: Turkey
Age ratings: USK 18 PEGI 18

About

Kabus 22 is a 2006 survival horror video game released for Microsoft Windows. Set in the Kadıköy district in Istanbul, the game is notable for being one of the earliest commercially-sold video games developed in Turkey. The game was also distributed under the names Fearzone Strefa 22, Zona 22 and Sektor 22 in other countries. In 2019, the game was released as freeware.

›Story

The story of this game tells about the year 2000 when most of the people became servants to a mysterious cult lead by a man called Messiah. At the same time, the world (at least, Turkey, where the game takes place) is infiltrated by strange creatures. The protagonists try to understand the connection between the cult and the monsters in typical Resident Evil fashion – which means, dispatching the enemies and solving puzzles to progress further. Most problems are of "find a key or other way to open the door" kind, though some tasks are of more intricate kind.

The action switches between 3 characters. Demir and Ebru are primarily using hand weapons (though can also perform melee attacks to push enemies away). Inzar excels in magic and martial arts - he employs two blades on his wrists to serve justice to the monsters.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Story

In the game, the player has three characters to control; the Turkish soldier Demir, his girlfriend Ebru and the mysterious Inzar. These characters have to fight against a despotic religious order and creatures named Maduns in an alternate near future.

Development

Kabus 22 was developed by Son Işık, a Turkish video game studio founded in 2004 by a small team of young developers. Inspired by similar survival-horror games such as Resident Evil, they began working on Kabus 22 the same year.

The game's development took three years and was rife with difficulties. The team had little to no experience in game development and had to work within a limited budget and with limited internet access. At the time, the Turkish tax code did not recognize video games as a distinct product category, meaning the developers could not submit a tax stamp application and legally sell the game in Turkey. The team have been suggested to categorize the game as a film instead, that way they could obtain a tax stamp without legislative intervention.