Planned Release Date: 2026

About This Game

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to become an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile?

You are the ultimate weapon - A ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead. In an alternate 60’s your government developed a technology that uses human brains instead of computers. However, this technology has serious side effects on the human psyche.

Operate control panels

Control the missile by solving light puzzles as you go through the phases of the flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Experience surreal hallucinations

Descend into a nightmarish world of hallucinations as your psyche starts breaking down.

FEATURES

• Unique setting: Play as a living nuclear missile in an alternate 1960s Cold War.


• Stationary first-person immersion: Every lever, button, and switch feels heavy and consequential.


• Four missile phases: Boost, Midcourse, Reentry, and Detonation — each with distinct puzzles.


• Psychological punishment: Failure doesn’t mean restart, it means flashbacks, torment, and regret.


• Grotesque hallucinations: Surreal body-horror mini-games that blur the line between flesh and machinery.


• Distinct visual style: PSX-inspired graphics, analog distortion, and a “metal meets meat” aesthetic.


• Atmospheric soundscape: Analog hums, distorted voices, and unnerving ambient design.


• Playtime: A focused 2.5 hour narrative-driven experience designed to be played in a single sitting.

GAMEPLAY

BRAINSHELL alternates between two core experiences:

Control Phases:

Guide the missile through its real-world flight sequence:
 Boost / Launch
, Midcourse
, Reentry
, Detonation


Each stage challenges you with mechanical control-panel puzzles inspired by Cold War technology. Pull levers, press buttons, manage switches — every action matters. Mistakes don’t trigger a game over, but instead assault you with traumatic flashbacks and audio torment.


Hallucination Phases
After every control sequence, you descend into grotesque body-horror visions. These surreal mini-games force you to interact with fleshy panels, organs, and distorted memories in search of the pills that return you to “reality.” These sections act as narrative checkpoints, blending story and gameplay in unsettling ways.

STORY

You play as a young air force recruit deceived into joining the BRAINSHELL program, where human minds are harvested to guide nuclear weapons. Your body has been reduced to a living control unit, drugged into compliance, and fused with metal.

As your first and final mission begins, memories of brutal training resurface. Between the mechanical stress of missile control and grotesque hallucinations of flesh, you will question your purpose — and whether obedience or sabotage is the right choice.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

The game contains depictions of extreme mutilation and mental torment like brainwashing.