Hugo Cadı Sila'ya Karşı (Hugo Against the Scylla the Witch) a Turkish children’s book and audiobook published in 1993 by Interpress. It was written by Oktay "Okican" Can, illustrated by Ergün Gündüz, and narrated by Gökhan İçöz. The adaptation was edited and prepared for publication by Hasan Kaçan.
It serves both as a loose adaptation of the early Hugo TV games and a narrative prequel to them, incorporating familiar minigame scenarios such as the Mountain, Forest, and a redesigned Ropes endgame challenge. Though it draws from the world of the Hugo franchise, the story is not considered canon, as it was developed independently by Oktay Can and is not referenced in any official Hugo media.
Plot[]
The story begins in Hugo's peaceful troll village, before his marriage to Hugolina. One sunny day, while fishing by the river, Hugo is unaware that high on the mountain, the evil witch Scylla (Sila) is preparing a dark ritual with her minion, Ucube (the Freak). Obsessed with eternal beauty, Scylla uses the sweat of enslaved youth to brew a youth potion, but the spell fails—her captives have grown too old. She sets her sights on a nearby coastal village—Hugo’s home[1].
While Hugo naps, Scylla attacks, capturing all the young villagers, including Hugolina. Hugo returns to find his home in ruins and, with guidance from the village elder, Bilgin (the Wise), sets out on a rescue mission.
His journey begins by scaling a mountain to summon a wise cave Cin (Jinn), who tells him that Scylla’s power stems from fear. Only by confronting his fears and acting with love and courage can Hugo defeat her. Hugo must then choose between four perilous paths to reach her castle; he selects the forest route.
As he ventures through the forest, Scylla uses illusions and magic to frighten him. In one memorable scene, Hugo is trapped by monstrous trees—manifestations of his own fear—until he finds the courage to defy them. Once past the forest, he climbs the cliffs to the witch's castle.
In the final confrontation, Scylla challenges Hugo to a deadly guessing game involving three ropes—only one of which will open the cage holding the villagers. The others drop the player into a crocodile pit. Trusting his instincts, Hugo pulls the correct rope, defeats Scylla, and frees the captives.
The story ends with a joyous return to the village, where the villagers celebrate Hugo’s bravery with music, dance, and a feast. The message is clear: true courage comes from confronting your fears with love and hope.
Trivia[]
The book and audiobook were produced during the early 1990s Hugo craze in Turkey. In addition to the book's 1993 release, Hugo stories also appeared in a 1993-1994 weekly magazine, Haftalık Hugo, written again by Oktay Can with early pencil illustrations by Akın Çavdarlı, and inked by Oğuzhan Kayan, with coloring and compositing by Tamer Önder and Halil Küçük[2]. These early magazine stories were assembled under the guidance of Hasan Kaçan, with additional contributions in storytelling, puzzles, and design from Musa Gümüş and Arzu Alemdarlar. Some of the cover art was also created by Ergün Gündüz, who later became the primary illustrator for the book [3].
The original art is considered invaluable by its creators, representing a unique creative burst from a dedicated team working under tight deadlines—often drawing 11 pages per week while juggling school or other jobs.
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