Uplink: Hacker Elite

Uplink

Hacker Sim

Introversion Software, 2001

The player assumes in the role of a hacker, working for an international hacking organisation known as the Uplink Corporation. The game’s storyline revolves around the battle between two companies: ARC and Arunmor. ARC is controlled by fanatical individuals, preaching the destruction of the internet. Arunmor are attempting to create a counter-virus (‘Faith’) to ARC’s destructive ‘Revelation’ virus. The player can assist either faction with their work, or ignore the plot altogether and simply carry out irrelevant (to the plot) missions.

Notable Archetypes

The Hero - The Player (potentially)

The player starts the game with no clear objective. As a hacker connected to the Uplink corporation (with the login name and password created at the beginning of the game), the player decides what role to play: a destructive and vandalistic hacker, wantonly destroying lives for dirty money; a straight-shooting activist trying to save the internet, or anything in between.

The Father / Herald - MattBlack

At a certain date and time, the player is destined to receive mail from the number one ranking Uplink agent, ‘MattBlack’. Shown in the Uplink news channel a few weeks prior, was the dubious suicide of MattBlack, and his ties to ARC. The email was automated and set to be sent upon his death. He tried to steal the Revelation code, and was dealt with by the company. His honourable death, trying to steal code from ARC, made him somewhat of a martyr, a shining example. His herald is the implicit call: ARC are bad.

The Shadow - ARC / Arunmor

Uplink creates a rare situation of the shadow not being that of the player, but instead, two external entities which are the shadows of each other. ARC’s, fanatical and pseudo-religiously fueled aggression is matched by Arunmor’s underhand, devious, and level-headed attempt at defending the existence of the internet.

The Dragon Forces - ARC

ARC is the force for destruction and decline of the gameworld. Its projection of power is the almost-impenetrable ARC Mainframe/LAN. This system is unbreakable throughout most of the game, due to its fileserver being physically disconnected from the internet. Towards the end of the game, a mole in ARC provides the player with the means to enter and defeat this fortress.

The Departure

The Call to Adventure - 7 (Implicit)

Roughly half-way through the game, the player receives an email from the recently-deceased number one Uplink agent, MattBlack. According to the news channel, the mysterious ARC (Andromeda Research Corporation) was implicated in his apparent suicide. A week (game time) later, the email is received by the player (typical “If you read this, I am dead” style communication), confirming the rumours surrounding of his suicide. The message does not contain a specific objective, but (with subsequent messages from ARC and Andromeda) set the scene for a showdown.

Refusal of the Call - 3

Not a specific stage of the game, but the player can choose to ignore the storyline (or even actively vandalise it by attacking the system of ARC and Arunmor, muddying the waters of the game world’s structure).

Supernatural Aid - 4 (Out of sequence)

Players have access to the ‘Uplink Internal Services’, which combines mission list, news channel, information of different sorts, and more importantly - software / hardware upgrades. The player must visit this server before completing any missions, as their starting gateway setup does not include vital hacking software such as a password breaker. This internal services system, although unconventional in its lack of characters, provides the player with the tools needed to crack their first server and begin their journey. A literal protective amulet available from the server is the ‘trace tracker’, which informs players of the progress of their hunters.

The Crossing of the First Threshold - 6 (Out of sequence)

Connecting to their ‘Gateway’ (remotely accessed computer), leaving the real world and diving into the online world of hacking, deception, and intrigue, represents the player’s crossing. Their crossing from the natural to the supernatural. From the safe to the dangerous.

The Belly of the Whale - 7

The player must complete a test before taking on any real missions, breaking into a server owned by Uplink and retrieving some data. This is the first time that the player is involved in hacking, and must find his way through the server’s defences and file structure.

Initiation

The Road of Trials - 8

After the storyline begins proper, the player is offered five ‘special’ missions by the faction he chooses to represent (with occasional counter-offers from the other) which form The Road of Trials.

The Meeting with the Goddess / Woman as the Temptress - 7

ARC and Arunmor depending on the player’s standpoint. If the player follows the ‘typical’ plot developments, then he will assist Arunmor in their efforts to save the internet, resisting the offers of cash from ARC. If the player chooses to help ARC, then their communications and assistance (money, software) and guidance are the ‘Goddess’ elements, and Arunmor’s offers of defection are the temptations. The names of the viruses developed (ARC’s ‘Revelation’ versus Arunmor’s ‘Faith’ counter-virus) reflect the biblical nature of the story, and reinforce the Goddess / Temptation elements.

Atonement with the Father - 9

Defeating ARC and avenging the fallen MattBlack is the strongest atonement for the player, with the corporation’s CEO and executives taken away in cuffs and their plot foiled. If the player chooses to destroy the internet for the fanatics, then the atonement is bittersweet, with the game ending suddenly, the internet crashing and burning in front of the player’s eyes. This atonement is short-lived, almost a punishment for choosing the ‘evil’ path.

Apotheosis - N/A

The Ultimate Boon - 7

Once the battle between ARC and Arunmor unfolds, the player is given access to an early version of the Faith virus, later incarnations of which will defeat the Revelation virus and save the internet (the ’world’).

Return

Refusal of the Return - 7 (Out of sequence)

The Return refers to the player’s return to his normal life. His life outside of the game. The refusal is directly linked to the Freedom to Live; with the malevolent ARC corporation defeated, the player can still receive missions from Uplink, and postpone leaving the game world for as long as possible.

The magic Flight - 5

After its release, the player must defeat the Revelation virus by rushing around servers from all over the world, disinfecting them one by one before the virus multiplies beyond control.

Rescue from Without - N/A

The Crossing of the Return Threshold - 3

Revelation and ARC defeated, the internet returns to its normal state and the player can continue to complete missions (if he so wishes).

Master of the Two Worlds - 8

Following on from the player’s victory over ARC, he can log in and out of his gateway at will, playing the game however he wishes.

Freedom to Live - 8

With the virus defeated, the player’s gateway (as well as the internet) is safe to continue hacking (and being hacked).

Conclusion

The beginning of the game’s storyline coming roughly halfway through the game has a significant effect on the Hero’s Journey. Since the player is hacking and playing the game from the very start, elements such as the Supernatural Aid and the Crossing of the First Threshold occur before the Hero’s Journey begins. Once the story kicks in, the rest of the elements slot in place more or less in order. Another factor affecting Uplink’s Hero’s Journey is the almost total lack of characters. Other than MattBlack, the player has contact solely with mysterious or simply anonymous figures. Personality of institutions is anchored not only to their actions (ARC’s aggression, Uplink’s caution, Arunmor’s defiance), but by their names. To improve the autonomy of the Revelation virus is achieved through ARC stealing and implementing code from ‘Darwinia Research’. The purpose of the code is obvious even without explanation - to allow the virus to evolve and spread across the internet. The biblical naming of the conflicting viruses (Revelation and Faith) underpins the religious overtones. Stories with religious under/over-tones lead more to epic scale.