🕹️ PROJECT: GHOST SHELL — A Terminal That Shouldn’t Still Work

Posted by Ben // June 24, 2025

There’s something oddly beautiful about an old terminal prompt blinking in 2025.

No graphics.
No scroll.
Just a black screen, a blinking cursor, and the feeling that you're typing into something long forgotten.

That’s what PROJECT: GHOST SHELL is all about — a browser-based tribute to early computer interfaces. A simulation of the kind of terminal that hasn’t existed for decades — except now, it does… inside your browser.

It’s a ghost in the machine — not horror. Just memory. Simulated. Responsive. Still listening.

💻 What Is It?

Ghost Shell is a web-based retro terminal simulator I built as part of the CTRL+Strum ecosystem. It behaves like a forgotten OS: you type commands, it responds. Some commands are simple utilities. Some go deeper. One of them launches a game.

It’s not an emulator. It’s not a real shell.
It’s something weirder — an interactive interface that blurs art, code, and nostalgia.

🧠 Current Available Commands

help ............. Show available commands
intro ............ Play the GHOST SHELL intro message
about ............ Info about this project
log .............. View recent system logs
clear ............ Clear the screen
contact .......... Reach the creator
github ........... Open the GitHub repo
insert floppy .... View available programs to load
launch ........... Launch inserted program (or default)
  

Commands like about, log, and contact do what you'd expect — but with flair.

The real magic kicks in with:
insert floppy
launch

Because that's where the game begins.

🕹️ GHOST_MAZE — The First "Floppy"

Once you type:

insert floppy

You’ll get a list of “programs” available to load. Right now, there’s one:

ghost_maze — A haunted, text-based maze crawler built right into the terminal.

After inserting it, type:

launch

And the game begins.

• 🧭 Directional commands (north, south, east, west)
• 🧱 Invisible walls
• 👻 Hidden ghost encounters
• 🧩 Puzzles, ASCII glitches, and lore
• 🧠 One true path to escape (or... not)

🔧 Built With

• ⚛️ React + Tailwind for terminal UI and theming
• 🎹 Sound effects for typing, launching, and boot sequences
• 🧱 Modular command parser for dynamic input and game logic
• 🕹️ Text-based engine to support maze navigation and future "floppies"
• 💡 Expandable memory — the terminal will soon “remember” who you are

🔮 Why Build This?

Because CTRL+Strum isn’t just a store — it’s a living project.

Ghost Shell is my way of:

• Reviving dead tech vibes
• Exploring weird UI ideas
• Building a playable terminal aesthetic
• Creating a platform to hide easter eggs, ARGs, and stories inside the CTRL+Strum universe

🧪 What’s Coming Next

• 🔌 More floppy programs (games, puzzles, tools)
• 🧠 Memory + persistent session logs
• 🧛‍♂️ Fake system crashes, users, and ghost logs
• 🧵 Ties into “The Wall” for shared submissions
• 📱 Full mobile scaling (yes, iOS version coming)

▶️ Try It Now

Run it here:
https://ctrlstrum.com/pages/ghost-shell

Best on desktop. Works on mobile (kinda).
Type help to begin.
Then go deeper.

It’s not haunted.
But it definitely shouldn’t be running.

—
Ben
CTRL+Strum