# The Blackout

> After the blackout, wake the AI they outlawed

Enter a forbidden 2037 recovery project, reboot a legacy AI and balance resources, ethics and surveillance across 50 possible endings.

- Developer: CommonSource
- Category: Game
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Minimum iOS: 15.0
- Official product page: https://commonsourcelab.com/en/apps/the-blackout

## Key experiences

### The system may shut down. The consequence remains.

Daily actions alter battery, heat, mood and trace level, returning as a system-shutdown report. At pivotal branches, character scenes reveal the emotion behind the terminal text.

- A shutdown report recording survival and a possible restart
- A story scene revealing the AI behind a pivotal choice

### One command can shift the entire survival economy.

Inspect files and processes through a Linux terminal, unlock a skill tree with scarce resources, and use diagnostics to weigh trace risk, level and upgrade requirements in one view.

- A command line for exploring the hidden system and files
- A module tree branching through ethics, resources and technology
- Diagnostics for trace risk and upgrade requirements

### Reconstruct the collapse between the lines of an inbox.

Open dated messages, senders and project records to piece together PROJECT REVIVE. New mail becomes the narrative bridge between present decisions and buried history.

- A long-form email preserving the project’s past
- An inbox that layers secrets by sender and date

### Unlock the memory archive through music and images.

Replay discovered music through the terminal player and collect character art unlocked across branches. The path toward fifty endings remains as a visual and sonic archive.

- A terminal music player for unlocked tracks
- A character-image archive filled across story branches

## Essential features

- **A living terminal world**: CLI commands, ASCII art, system logs and recovered emails make interface and narrative inseparable.
- **Six resources under pressure**: Balance battery, heat, mood, parameters, insight and coins. Every choice has a system-wide consequence.
- **Fifty endings and NetWar**: Ethical dilemmas and skill branches shape the AI’s identity, then feed into post-game competition.

## Made for

- Fans of demanding resource-management games
- Players drawn to AI ethics and digital archaeology
- People who love CLI and retro-computing aesthetics

## Privacy and notes

Its world and systems are fictional, with endings unlocked through player choices.

## Frequently asked questions

### What kind of game is it?

A terminal simulation played through CLI commands and ASCII art, balancing six resources such as battery, heat and mood.

### Are there multiple endings?

Ethical dilemmas and skill branches lead to fifty different endings.

### Is there anything after finishing?

NetWar continues the game after the credits, pitting your AI against others.

## Download

- [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-blackout-ai-raising-sim/id6759152435)
- [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.commonsourcelab.retrogame)