Grand Theft Auto: Arabian Delights

Grand Theft Auto: Arabian Delights, also known as Grand Theft Auto: Arabian Heights and Grand Theft Auto: Arabian Nights, is a Rockstar North-developed game, and serves as a standalone entry in the series along with a separate continuity. GTA: Arabian Delights is set in the city of Percington, D.C., in 1994, the capital city of the United States.

GTA: Arabian Delights centers around gun-for-hire Kushim Al-Abdi who, after a botched heist involving the Finocchio diamond, is threatened by crime lord Donald D'Arco and joins forces with the Venerretti crime family to save his sister, Yasmin Al-Abdi.

Designed by Rockstar North and developed by Rockstar Games, it debuted in North America for the PC in 2017 and quickly became the best-selling video game of the year. GTA: Arabian Delights saw releases in Europe, Australia, and Japan the following year. Despite it's international success, the game brew heavy controversy in the Middle East for it's satirical depictions of terrorists. Despite this, the game was critically acclaimed and recieved largely positive reviews for it's story and humor.

GTA: Arabian Delights is played from a top-down, isometric perspective, a first for the series; Similar to Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, another entry in the series, the game uses fully 3D graphics.

Storyline[]

Main article: Missions in GTA: Arabian Delights

“There’s about one million stories in Percington, D.C. This one changes everything. It’s open season on a young Kushim Al-Abdi, as a botched heist puts a big, fat target on his neck. Unprotected and on the run, Kushim faces the most inscrutable and feared gangs in the city, but soon finds himself in a plot that runs much, much deeper.”

— Game's description

Obriland[]

In 1994, Kushim Al-Abdi, a 24-year-old Middle Eastern gun-for-hire, returns from a six-month family trip, and continues operating in the Percington, D.C. borough of Obriland as a personal bodyguard for Emir Edebolo, the boss of the Abdabian Mafia. His parents' Yusef and Habiba Al-Abdi, struggle to make ends meet in their country, and Kushim resorts to a life of theft, robbery, and racketeering to fund his parents' refuge to the United States, a deal the family worked out over Kushim's visit. Edebolo, a brash and megalomaniacal kingpin, is bent on exerting control and dominance over Percington and persuades Kushim into inserting himself in the rising drug trade between the Abdabian mafiya and the Venerretti Crime Family, the rival of the Abdabian mafiya. As the two crime families wage a harsh cold war against one another, Edebolo tasks Kushim with kidnapping his rival's daughter, Veronica Venerretti. Kushim poses as a multi-billionaire investor and entrenpeneur named Prince Karim to gain Veronica's trust and later hold her for ransom. Meanwhile, Kushim's younger sister, Yasmin Al-Abdi returns from the Middle East after being forced to hide after killing a powerful crime boss in retribution who had made a move on her. The two celebrate by racing in Percington's underground racing scene. Not long after, Veronica Venerretti's brother, Paulie Venerretti, vows to kill Kushim in retribution for kidnapping his sister and humiliating the Venerretti family. A gunfight between them ensues after a chase, but the two eventually realize they're equally matched, and form an alliance. Kushim releases Veronica and apologizes for the incident, beyond Edebolo's orders, much to his anger. During this time, Paulie asks Kushim to do some work for him in compensation.

The Abdabian mafiya grows in power and eventually begins to exercise control throughout the entire city, Obriland and beyond. Edebolo tasks Kushim with intercepting a supposed lucrative cocaine deal between two local gangs in Percington—the Allied Bantu Nation and the Fazik-American Cartel—and reporting back to him. When Kushim completes the job and reports back to him, however, Kushim discovers that the job was faked, and the "cocaine" was merely flour. He also discovers that Edebolo had grown distrust in Al-Abdi after mending his rivalry with the Venerretti family, and hired the leaders of the Allied Bantu Nation and the Fazik-American cartel to kill Kushim, so that Edebolo could rise in the criminal underground unopposed. Enraged, Kushim finds Edebolo at the Abdabian mafiya hideout, and swiftly beheads him in a heat of rage, for lying to him and betraying him. A gunfight ensues in the hideout, and Kushim eliminates the Abdabian mafiya, but not before deciding to exact revenge against the leader of the Allied Bantu Nation, The King, and the leader of the Fazik-American Cartel, Hassan Al-Hamoud. After destroying the Abdabian mafiya hideout in an explosion, Kushim flees to Capitol Step.

Capitol Step[]

In Capitol Step, Kushim reunites with Yasmin, who reveals to her brother that she is the leader of a gang named the Forty Thieves, and offers him a hideout that serves as a Forty Thieves front. Kushim berates his sister for keeping such a secret from him, but Yasmin later compensates in cash. Kushim then confides in her, explaining that the reason he got into organized crime in the first place was to provide for their parents and fund their refuge to the United States. Yasmin then introduces Kushim to Enrico Fence, an automotive dealer and close friend of Yasmin who gives Kushim honest work.

One night, Kushim is captured by the Venerretti Crime Family. Just as the don, Vincenzo Venerretti, attempts to kill him, his son Paulie promptly arrives, vouches for Kushim, and convinces his father to let him go. Vincenzo, impressed by Kushim's track record and penitence after abducting his daughter, employs Kushim as an associate. Vincenzo explains to him that the Venerrettis had become engaged in a three-way gang war between the Allied Bantu Nation, the Fazik-American Cartel, and Massimo Versace, a corrupt, multi-millionaire motorsport promoter and socialite mogul who has ties to . Vincenzo promises that if Kushim helps the Venerrettis emerge victorious and operate the Percington criminal underbelly unopposed, he would be granted lifetime protection, and, more importantly, be granted the sufficient funds needed to send his parents to America. Kushim quickly gets rid of The King and Al-Hamoud, and later aids the Venerrettis in spying on Versace at a gala. Later, Kushim and Paulie confront Versace in his mansion, and he attempts to escape. The two corner Versace at Grandois International Airport and kill him. True to his word, Vincenzo grants Kushim made man status, and Kushim becomes a respected gangster in the Percington criminal underworld.

Kushim is granted the money from Vincenzo to send to his parents, but eventually makes forced contact with Winton Westingshire II, after he is ambushed and kidnapped and his apartment is left ransacked. As Kushim is abducted, the money is destroyed. Winton, a bigoted, highly-corrupt, highly-decorated government official, is a sadistic and merciless war criminal who takes great pleasure in kidnapping and torturing terrorists, convicted and suspected alike. He detains Kushim in his internment camp, where he meets Donald D'Arco. Winton blackmails Kushim into committing several acts of terror in Percington under the facade of "country-protecting" to fuel Winton's psychopathic fantasies. Kushim begins to develop an allegiance with D'Arco, a convicted and inscrutable terrorist, who Kushim later helps escape. Winton eventually releases Kushim, but continues to blackmail him and keep him under his bidding. Winton explains that a band of politicians in Capitol Step are in cahoots, conspiring to convict him of his war crimes. Winton promises to Kushim that if Kushim can get rid of them, through murder or otherwise, he'll be set free, and Winton will see that Kushim's parents are transported to Percington. Kushim teams up with Yasmin to take do Winton's tasks, including assassinating J. Richard Pelt, a presidential candidate who has evidence that will put Winton in prison. Untrue to his word, Winton marks Kushim as a wanted terrorist, and he flees to the borough of Floral to lie low.

Floral[]

In Floral, Kushim begins to lie low after being falsely labeled as a wanted terrorist. With the help of Yasmin, he changes his name, appearance, and identity. Just as he begins to hole up in an abandoned factory, he discovers through Yasmin that their parents had been killed in an seemingly accidental airstrike. Overwrought beyond belief, Kushim and Yasmin promptly begin to search for suspects, but the siblings immediately discern Winton as the sole suspect. Yasmin and Kushim reunite with Paulie, and then launch an assault on Winton's last known location. Yasmin's right-hand lady, Abissa, dies in the process. Kushim pushes on and takes care of Winton's men, but Winton is no where to be found. Kushim later receives a tip on Winton's true location, and goes there alone. Although Kushim deducts that Winton couldn't have done it, he kills him in retribution for being dishonest and untrue to his word.

Later on, Kushim reports back to Venerretti for one last job regarding the Venerretti crime family. After Kushim helps the family relocate, Vincenzo uses his connections to find the real killer of Kushim's parents, and they go their seperate ways. Later on, Vincenzo calls Kushim one last time, and reports that his parents' killer was a man by the name of Donald D'Arco, the very same man Kushim had let escape. Vincenzo also reports that Donald had escaped back to the Middle East. Kushim vows to return to Ironistan to confront Donald, once and for all. Explaining that this is a task he must do alone, Kushim leaves Yasmin and Paulie behind until he comes back.

Kushim returns to Ironistan, where he pays his respects near his parents' resting location. He tracks down Donald D'Arco, and makes his way through his fortress. It is then that Donald explains that he was once a dangerous terrorist who exercised considerable control throughout the Middle East. Kushim discovers in that moment that Donald's terror is what prompted him to leave Ironistan in the first place many years ago. Donald had also explained that killing Kushim's parents was only a means of luring Kushim to Ironistan, where Donald could finally execute him, the only considerable threat to his power. Donald attempts to shoot Kushim, but is killed after trying to flee.

The game ends with Kushim returning to Percington, D.C. Paulie explains to him that through his father's connections, Kushim's wanted status had been vacated.

Gameplay[]

Grand Theft Auto: Arabian Delights is an action-adventure game set in an open-world environment, and is presented in an isometric camera perspective, a first for the series. The player also has the option to present the game in either a top-down or isometric perspective.

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