"They died as they lived — with insufficient privileges."
The Kernel Trail is a tech-noir survival game in the spirit of The Oregon Trail, built to teach Linux commands (A–Z) and IT history through gameplay. Set in 2099, the Cloud has collapsed. You are a Data Scavenger tasked with migrating humanity's last archive across the Great Dead Network to the final surviving server farm in Neo-Portland. Your only weapon: a Linux terminal.
Type the correct Linux command to advance the trail. Wrong answers deal damage to your System Integrity. Reach 0% and get a kernel panic. Every 10 miles, a History Warp anomaly triggers a bonus IT history question — answer it correctly to activate Overclock Mode and skip ahead.
- 400 Linux questions — commands A–Z, difficulty 1–5
- 100 IT History Warp questions — 1943 (Colossus) through 2024 (XZ Utils backdoor)
- 8 level tiers — Root Initiate → Kernel Architect
- 14 achievements to unlock across the run
- Overclock Mode — 60-second power surge that increases healing and changes the terminal aesthetic
| # | Title | Questions | Difficulty | Commands Covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ⬡ Root Initiate | 1–50 | Greenhorn | Basics: ls, cd, cat, cp |
| 2 | ⚡ Bash Nomad | 51–100 | Beginner | Permissions, pipes, ssh |
| 3 | 🛡 Sudo Sentinel | 101–150 | Intermediate | Networking, cron, sed |
| 4 | ⊞ Pipe Architect | 151–200 | Intermediate | System tools, scripting |
| 5 | ◈ Kernel Nomad | 201–250 | Advanced | Syscalls, iptables, lvm |
| 6 | ◉ Signal Master | 251–300 | Advanced | Perf, namespaces, crypto |
| 7 | ⊗ Daemon Wrangler | 301–350 | Expert | Containers, DevOps |
| 8 | 🧬 Kernel Architect | 351–400 | Expert | Kernel internals, ZFS |
A History Warp anomaly triggers every 10 miles. An amber alert screen appears with an IT history question. Answering correctly rewards:
- +10 miles traveled instantly
- +20% System Integrity restored
- +15 Power Cells
- ACTIVATE OVERCLOCK MODE (60 seconds — terminal glows white)
- 5 Linux questions skipped
Answering wrong costs −15% Integrity and triggers a glitch animation. You can also skip with no penalty.
History questions span 1940–2024: Colossus, ENIAC, Unix, Linux's birth, the dotcom boom, Git, Docker, Kubernetes, Shellshock, Log4Shell, XZ Utils backdoor, and more.
| Icon | Name | Unlock Condition |
|---|---|---|
| ⚔ | First Blood | Answer your first question correctly |
| ⌁ | The Vacuum Tube | Survive 2 History Warp events |
| ⚗ | Silicon Alchemist | Answer 5 Warp questions correctly |
| ◌ | Analog Ghost | Answer 10 Warp questions correctly |
| ⚡ | Overclocker | 3 correct Warp answers in a row |
| ⊛ | No Mercy | 10 correct answers without using a hint |
| ⊘ | Permission Denied | Fail 5 questions in a row |
| # | Bash God | Complete the first 50 questions |
| ★ | Root Access | Complete 100 questions |
| ◑ | Half the Trail | Reach question 200 |
| ▲ | sudo make me | Complete the Sudo Sentinel tier |
| ☠ | Kernel Panic | Die and come back |
| ⧖ | Time Warden | Answer a Warp in under 10 seconds |
| 🏁 | Neo-Portland | Complete all 400 questions |
See QUICKSTART.md for a step-by-step install and run guide.
npm install
npm run dev
# → http://localhost:5173| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | React 18 |
| Build tool | Vite 5 |
| State | Zustand 4 |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS 3 + inline styles |
| Fonts | VT323, Share Tech Mono (Google Fonts) |
| Icons | lucide-react |
| Language | JavaScript (ESM) |
See TECHSTACK.md for rationale and architecture notes.
kernel-trail/
├── src/
│ ├── App.jsx ← Root component, screen router
│ ├── main.jsx ← React DOM mount
│ ├── styles/index.css ← Tailwind + global keyframes
│ ├── data/ ← All question banks and config
│ ├── stores/gameStore.js ← Zustand state + all game actions
│ ├── hooks/ ← useOverclock, useKeyboardShortcuts
│ └── components/ ← UI: HUD, Terminal, Sidebar, screens
├── index.html ← Root HTML, Google Fonts
├── vite.config.js
├── tailwind.config.js
└── package.json
See DEVELOPMENT.md for the complete file map and architectural guide.
- Palette: Solarized Green
#859900· Slate#073642· Void Black#020508· Amber#b58900· Danger Red#dc322f - Fonts: VT323 (display/headings) · Share Tech Mono (terminal body)
- Effects: CRT scanline overlay · Katakana matrix rain on intro · Screen shake on wrong answers · Overclock white glow · Red flash on damage
- Aesthetic: Tech-noir terminal, Gen Z dark academia, Mr. Robot meets Oregon Trail
MIT — use it, fork it, teach with it.