Visual aesthetic
The game renders on a dark cyber grid background (RGB2, 8, 15) with neon green grid lines spaced 60 pixels apart. The palette — deep near-black blues and high-contrast greens — reinforces the cybersecurity theme throughout every level.
Two distinct zones partition the map:
- HOUSE [ALPHA]: SECURE OPS — The player’s starting territory
- HOUSE [BETA]: MALWARE LABS — Enemy-controlled space separated by wall partitions
Core features
Enemy waves
Virus enemies spawn continuously and chase the player. Each collision deals 15 HP of damage and triggers screen shake. Eliminating enemies produces particle effects and a larger screen shake burst.
Plasma bolt combat
Fire plasma bolts in your last movement direction. Each shot triggers a 5-unit screen shake. Bolts produce particle effects on impact with enemies or walls.
Terminal interaction
Each level after Level 1 introduces an interactive terminal. Move within 80 pixels and press E to trigger level-specific actions ranging from network connections to OS-level persistence.
Objective pointer
An arrow overlay always points toward the active terminal objective, so you can navigate both houses without losing your bearings during combat.
Particle effects
Hits on enemies, bullet impacts, and player damage all produce localized particle bursts. Combined with screen shake, combat feels immediate and physical.
Windowed or fullscreen
Launch the game in fullscreen by default, or pass the
--windowed flag for a smaller window — useful when running alongside a listener terminal.HUD elements
The heads-up display provides all mission-critical information without cluttering the play field:| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Health bar | Shows current HP out of 100. Depletes by 15 per enemy collision. |
| Mission objective | Text label describing the current level goal. |
| Scan progress bar | Fills from 0 to 100 in Level 1, then 100 to 200 in Level 4. |
| Matrix rain effect | Green falling characters rendered during Level 1 to reinforce the scan atmosphere. |
| Objective pointer | Directional arrow pointing at the active terminal. |
| Status messages | Cycling diagnostic labels (e.g., BIO_SCAN, CONNECTED) that reflect level state. |
Level structure
The four levels form a continuous narrative: you boot the system, establish network access, install persistence, and then defend against a final virus wave before the system is declared secured.Level 1 — System scan
A matrix rain boot sequence verifies system integrity. Enemy waves begin immediately. Press Space to skip the scan animation once you understand the concept.
Level 2 — Network node
Locate the Network Node terminal in the upper-right quadrant. The game establishes a real TCP reverse shell in the background while you fight off enemies.
Level 3 — Persistence
Find the Quarantine Terminal near the center-bottom of the map. Press E to write cross-platform persistence entries to the underlying OS.
Level 4 — Final cleanup
Eliminate up to 8 simultaneous enemies while the final scan completes. Reach scan progress 200 to display the SYSTEM SECURED victory overlay.
Each level teaches a real cybersecurity phase: dependency verification, reverse shell communication, persistence mechanisms, and system remediation. The gameplay mechanics are designed to make these concepts tangible, not abstract.
Win and loss conditions
- Win — Reach
scan_progress == 200during Level 4. The screen fades to a semi-transparent black overlay displaying “SYSTEM SECURED”. Press any key to exit. - Loss — Health reaches 0 HP from repeated enemy collisions. Avoid enemies or eliminate them before they reach you.