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In Mainlining, we have dark, dry humor mixed with gameplay from old-school point-and-click adventures. The government has passed the BLU Pill Act, under which all online personal info is fair game. What nerve.

The game questions such underhanded techno-ethics and actually mirrors real-world events. Do you really want what you do online to be accessible to the powers that be?

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 takes place on a simulated desktop. You’re a government operative who must ferret out evidence and decide whether you have a enough information to pursue a case against your suspect. Over 500 known criminals operate within your jurisdiction. You must determine who to investigate. If you’re wrong, you may miss crucial links or your subject might escape, so choose wisely.

A new demo will become available January 19th. The game will be launched January 26, 2017 on Windows, Mac and Linux for $9.99 / €9.99 / £6.99. It will be available on Steam, Humble Bundle (pre-orders available starting January 19, 2017) and other digital outlets.