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kotaku small- "I'd really recommend giving it a try…I really enjoyed what was on show in the demo…

alphabetagamer- "It’s a clever method of storytelling that really does make you feel like you’re a cybercrime investigation agent. A great hacking based puzzle adventure, well worth booting up."


"Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." - Edward Snowden


Mainlining - The Cyber Espionage Hacking Sim, mixes dark and dry humour with gameplay that echoes old school point and click adventures.

Following the government's introduction of the BLU Pill Act and the Secret Intelligence Service's reintroduction of MI7, all online personal data is accessible by the powers that be. Mainlining questions techno-ethics and whether it is acceptable for an organisation to have the power to look at personal data. What if someone else got the key to that?


Mainlining and its BLU Pill Act mirrors what's happening in our own world. On November 4th 2015 the The Draft Investigatory Powers Bill was discussed in the British Parliament's House of Commons for the very first time. It’s likely that the bill will be passed sometime in 2016, meaning that domestic mobile and broadband providers will be forced to assist authorities with gathering data and storing it for a year. The police and security services will have access to the top line of the UK’s population browsing history, as well as knowing what apps have been used.

Referred to in the popular media as “the Snooper’s Charter” and opposed by a number of civil and human rights organisations, the Investigatory Powers Bill is positioned to aid security forces in tracking terrorists and serious cyber criminals who use increasingly sophisticated online methods.


Mainlining is a refreshing take on the traditional point and click adventure. The entire game takes place on the simulated desktop of the protagonist’s computer. Assuming the role of a newly recruited MI7 agent and working within the remit of the Blu Pill Act, the player must use their skill, judgement and cunningness to gather evidence by hacking suspects’ computers and phones.

As a MI7 operative your primary objectives are to ensure the perpetrator’s arrest and that the courts have sufficient evidence to hand out the longest custodial sentences possible. However, you’ll also have to make judgements on whether the case you're working on is complete. Move in too quickly and you may miss leads linking your case to much higher profile cyber-criminals. Act too slowly and your suspect may detect you and escape.

In excess of five hundred known criminals are known to operate within your jurisdiction, who will you arrest?


Why not try the PC playable teaser for yourself? We've put together a single case in which you'll be called on to arrest a suspect. Make sure you've got all of the information you need (name, location and evidence) and see just how long you can put the perp behind bars for. Click on the link below to download the playable teaser.


Sam Read

The driving force behind Rebelephant is British-born developer and designer, Sam Read. Highlighted by internationally renowned publication Develop as one of the 30-under-30 to watch out for, Sam has already tasted success as a key member of the HyperSloth team and their critically acclaimed first-person adventure, Dream. Owner of Rebelephant, Sam is responsible for the design, direction and coding of Mainlining.

Dave Grey

To fit in with the game's 2009, feel Rebelephant has called upon the artistic talents of Dave Grey who, in his own words, "Makes things with pixels. Like games and stories and things". Dave's previous collaborations include Microsoft and HBO.

Jill Murray

Mainlining relies heavily on an energetic narrative that draws the player into the game, blurring the lines between reality and the imaginary world of MI7. Rebelephant wasted no time and called upon one of the best scriptwriters in the business, Canadian novelist Jill Murray. Jill was nominated for Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Video Game Writing for her work on Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and won the award for scriptwriting on Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.

Jared Emerson-Johnson

For the final part of the jigsaw Rebelephant has drafted in the sublime audio talents of Jared Emerson­-Johnson. BAFTA nominated, Jared's scores include Telltale Games' Sam & Max series, The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Tales From the Borderlands and Game of Thrones.



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In addition to MI7’s Mainline software, operatives will also need to use a number of other online tools including tracking software that integrates with the map.bp application. By working in close collaboration with Field Agents, such as Special Agent Cooper, it’s possible to monitor the movements of both suspects and packages.

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Information gleaned from physical surveillance can often be invaluable in linking evidence and providing new leads. In addition to location data, close liaison with Field Agents can also provide photographic evidence that can aid operatives piece together the necessary clues and information needed to make a successful arrest and subsequent conviction.

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Mainlining is live on Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight

Mainlining is live on Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight

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Thanks for taking an interest in Rebelephant's Mainlining.

All Systems Go!

All Systems Go!

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Today we take a look at some of the OSs in Mainlining After MI7 has been hacked, your primary goal is to bring a cyber-criminal network to justice. Played...

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Mainlining Playable Teaser

Mainlining Playable Teaser

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This playable teaser features one case from Mainlining, the Cyber Espionage Hacking Sim that mixes dark and dry humour with gameplay that echoes old school...

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wrthofnino
wrthofnino

I found the game to be JUST frustrating enough to make me feel like I really had been thrown into a late-90's, clandestine government organization tasked to find kek-peddling hackers though the interwebs with next to no training. Humorous little parts evoked a weird mixture of both nostalgia and cringe (aka dial-up modems, cheesy HTML websites)- just the way I remember it! Looking forward to more!

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Leroxy
Leroxy

Teaser teased me insanely. Can't wait do see more. Love it!

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Guest
Guest

Cant wait for the full game is certainly alot of fun!

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tony-chaplin
tony-chaplin

Was great to meet you at the PC Gamer Weekender thoroughly enjoyed the game and can't wait for the full game

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