+==============[ NETSHELL v0.1.0 ]=============+

NETSHELL

Hack the System. Uncover the Truth.

Currently in Development
Windows
macOS
Linux
+===============[ SYSTEM READY ]===============+
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Netshell Moon Microsystems login screen with retro CDE aesthetic
Login Screen
Netshell Netscape Navigator browser showing Yohoo! search engine
Web Browser
Netshell Netscape Navigator showing 90s Hewlett-Packard corporate website
Corporate Recon
Netshell CDE desktop environment with terminal, file manager and applications
Desktop Environment
Netshell CDE file manager with color palette and system tools
File Manager
Netshell mission gameplay with email client, IRC chat, DOS terminal and sticky notes
Mission Gameplay

Enter the Underground

It's 1996. The internet is the wild west. Corporations hide secrets in poorly secured servers, and a hacker collective called Black Ice is watching from the shadows.

ghost@netshell:~
$ cat /var/log/story.log
[1996.09.12 03:14:07] Connection established...
[1996.09.12 03:14:08] Encrypted channel active.

Someone found you. Someone who calls themselves Zero.
They lead Black Ice - a collective that believes the
network is a library, and they are its archivists.

"We don't hack for profit. We preserve. We document.
We expose what corps want buried in forgotten servers."

The feds are getting smarter. Corporations are hiding
something big. And Zero needs someone with your skills.

> "Dig deep. Document everything. Trust no corp.
> Trust no fed. Welcome to Black Ice."

The cursor blinks. Your first mission is waiting.
$
man netshell
NAME
    netshell - a hacking simulation set in 1996

SYNOPSIS
    Real UNIX commands. Real file systems. Real networks.
    No magic hacking minigames. No hand-holding.
    If you know UNIX, you know Netshell. If you don't, you'll learn.

DESCRIPTION
    A fully simulated 90s operating environment with CDE/Motif desktop,
    Netscape Navigator, IRC, email, and a real terminal. Navigate
    interconnected corporate intranets and hidden networks. Every
    system is unique with its own security, users, and secrets
    buried in forgotten servers.

AI NPCS
    NPCs that think, remember, and react. Have real conversations
    with hackers, sysadmins, and mysterious contacts who actually
    understand what you're doing. Sysadmins notice when logs go
    missing. Contacts go silent if you burn them. Every conversation
    is a potential attack vector - or a trap.

HACKING
    No magic hacking minigames. Use real reconnaissance, exploitation,
    and post-exploitation techniques adapted for the game world.
    Scan networks, crack passwords, pivot through systems, cover
    your tracks.

NARRATIVE
    A story of corporate espionage, underground networks, and personal
    redemption. Your choices matter. Your methods matter. Starting in
    1996, experience the dot-com bubble, millennium bug panic, and
    corporate fraud scandals - reimagined with conspiracies and secrets
    only hackers can uncover.

ENVIRONMENT
    CDE/Motif desktop. IRC chats. Dial-up modems. ASCII art.
    Experience the internet before it was sanitized. A hacker
    collective called Black Ice is archiving what corporations
    want deleted.

PLATFORMS
    Windows, macOS, Linux

SEE ALSO
    discord(1), reddit(1), x.com(1)

Dev Log

Follow our development journey. Technical deep-dives, AI experiments, and behind-the-scenes updates.

Technical Papers

Deep dives into the technology behind Netshell. AI architectures, simulation systems, and game design explorations.

Join the Community

Connect with other hackers, give feedback on development, and help shape the future of Netshell.

Join Netshell Discord Join r/NetshellGame