Kernel_Panic

Welcome to Kernel_Panic. At first glance, you are simply playing the role of a detective in a police station. But as you continue your investigation, you will quickly realize that the boundaries between the game and your actual computer are not as solid as you thought.

Key Features:

• A Fully Simulated OS: Interact with a functional digital environment, complete with its own files and tools.
• Fourth-Wall-Breaking Mechanics: The game refuses to stay confined to its window. Expect anomalies that bleed out into your real workspace.
• Cryptographic Puzzles: Use real-world logic, ciphers, and external web elements (ARG) to decrypt the truth.
• Psychological Horror: Creeping sense of dread and a loss of digital control.

IMPORTANT WARNING & DISCLAIMER

Kernel_Panic is a meta-horror game designed to subvert your expectations. To achieve this, the game will interact with your actual Windows desktop (e.g., creating text files).

• Safety: The game is completely safe. It will NEVER read, modify, or delete your personal files. It only manipulates the specific files it generates.
• Antivirus: Because this is an indie game interacting with your system layer, Windows Defender or your antivirus might flag it as an "unrecognized app." This is a normal false positive.
• Operating System: Unfortunately, the game is limited to Windows 10 and Windows 11. Because it uses direct WinAPI calls, it will not run on Linux. 

Developer's Note

Kernel_Panic was developed in Unity as the practical part of my Bachelor's thesis in software engineering. From its conception to today, the development has taken around 1 year. 

The entire source code can be viewed here: https://github.com/Lukasmus1/Bachelors_Thesis

The documentation will be available here once it's finished. 

I need your help! Once you finish the game, please take 10 minutes to fill out this anonymous feedback survey. Your honest reactions are incredibly valuable for my academic research! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_Lwf5RQxr-dyE15XTRSEx2kK0c74lT-zRC1Bx...