The Shadow Over Cyberspace is an unabashedly anticapitalist story, which believes black lives matter and trans rights are human rights. Anyone disagreeing with these ideas is likely not going to enjoy the game -- we encourage you to play something else that you'll enjoy more instead.
This game deliberately takes on uncomfortable social issues, through the lens of science fiction and alternate history. However, there is very little graphic depiction of objectionable content -- simply discussions of difficult topics. Our goal is not to indulge in shock value.
The game should be perfectly safe to present to an audience, if you are a content creator or streamer. We recommend providing the link to this content warning for any viewers who may require it.
Because you can follow many different paths through the game, this content warning is broken down by where you will find potentially triggering content. You can click / tap / select / etc. any topic to expand it and see a spoiler-heavy breakdown of what is depicted. If a specific date isn't given, assume the topic spans multiple scenes.
Main Storyline
The daytime storyline is common to any playthrough, progressing from November 30th to Y2K itself. If applicable we've added specific dates; otherwise consider these to be consistent elements throughout the story.
Jump Scares (Nov 30, Dec 6, Dec 8, Dec 10, Dec 15, Dec 20, Dec 26)
On November 30, a human eye image jumpscares you as you wake up.
On December 6, entering the kitchen causes a strange light in the window.
On December 8, entering the living room causes a slow-animating nuclear explosion scare.
On December 10, entering the living room causes a strange ghostly figure to appear and the player to fall over.
On December 15, entering the kitchen causes a program code hallucination.
On December 20, entering the living room causes a hallucination of drowning in the ocean.
On December 26, entering the kitchen can cause a visitor to appear in the window depending on prior decisions.
Politics
Strong themes of anti-capitalism and anti-fascism throughout, with open discussion of socialism, communism, and authoritarianism. Cthulhu espouses a largely conservative world view; the Old Ones exhibit differing flavors of leftist or centrist thinking.
The prophecy of the "Strange Aeon" is that of our current 21st century history, including hinting at events such as 9/11, the rise of the alt-right, political misinformation, and more.
Believer is a character who is a conspiracy theorist, but acknowledges that most conspiracy theory is badly disguised racism.
It's implied in a file Believer can hack for you that the police are unwitting but willing and violent pawns in harvesting human minds for Cthulhu.
Cthulhu's human identity, before being scanned into a computer and evolved into a new form, was Ronald Reagan.
The fifth nightly TV program is a ridiculous propaganda film from the 1960s, pushing a pro-capitalism view including calling other civilizations "savages."
Mental Illness
The player is inflicted with the "Yellow Sign," a condition that causes neurological and physical deterioration. Numerous hallucinations occur because of this condition, implied to possibly be a form of extrasensory perception.
Other owners of the Necro NomiComm and others exposed to the Yellow Sign are implied to have gone through similar issues.
Buddy is implied to have an issue similar to Disassociative Identity Disorder, due to past trauma. He expresses an interest in healing and re-intergration with his alter.
Disability The player is inflicted with the "Yellow Sign," a condition that causes neurological and physical deterioration. Much of the story concerns adapting to a new disability, including how it affects family relations and your career.
Ableism (Dec 7, Dec 11, Dec 18)
On December 7, the player ponders if they're simply being "lazy" but concludes that's internalized ableism.
On December 11th, the player cannot attend a group function for work due to disability -- Cthulhu can call the player lazy, not making enough effort, a clearly ableist stance.
On December 18th the player does attend a group function but the topic of "Inspiration Porn," an ableist form of praise, is considered by Cthulhu to be a positive.
Cybercrime The player is a software pirate who specializes in breaking copy protection and hacking into websites. Clyde, a friend and ally, does similar. Buddy at one point comments that he has been taught "ACAB" and will not snitch.Death in the Family The player's parents died this year in a random car accident. Grandfather died by drowning some years ago.Stalking / Home Invasion A member of the Cult of Dagon watches the player's house from afar, in an effort to protect them. On December 20, a home intruder's murder attempt is thwarted by the cultist, who then kills the intruder.Murder (Dec 20) A home intruder's murder attempt is thwarted by a third party, who then kills the intruder.Thalassophobia (Fear of Drowning) (Dec 20) On December 20, entering the living room causes a hallucination of drowning in the ocean. Player comments that their grandfather died by drowning.Apocalypse Depending on which Old One (or Old Ones) selected for the final battle, the fate of the world may vary wildly from anarchy to authoritarianism. Humanity does not end but the established social order will drastically change. Selecting to support Cthulhu does not result in an immediate doomsday scenario (from a certain point of view.)
Dagon Scenes
The following content can be found when talking to Dagon at night.
Note that Dagon's computer monitor effect involves scratches and blood -- this is the only blood visible in the entire game and it's only seen on a plastic surface.
Mental Illness Dagon is implied to have an issue similar to Disassociative Identity Disorder, due to past trauma. He would like to resolve this trauma so he can re-integrate with his alter.Domestic Abuse (Dec 22, Optional) When Dagon was a living dog, the young girl he bonded with was being abused by her father. No specific details are given. He eventually kills the father in response. You can optionally skip over this story with a brief, no-details summary.Animal Cruelty (Dec 22, Optional) Dagon relates the story of how he was captured and used as a test subject for Artificial Mind scanning. No specific details are given, but the scan results in the death of his physical body. You can optionally skip over this story with a brief, no-details summary.
Azathoth Scenes
The following content can be found when talking to Azathoth at night.
Jump Scares (Night 1, Night 2) In Aza-chan's introduction, she'll appear as a hallucination after the camera cuts back to the room you're sitting in. The second night you talk to her, an angry vision of her face briefly overlays with a burst of static when she gets mad at you. Similar effects are used for the night where you ask Aza-chan what she thinks about anonymity.Politics As the caretaker of a meme-driven community of anonymous trolls and bigots, Aza-chan's "friends" skew hard right and resemble certain regressive video game themed movements. Cthulhu has promised that Aza-chan and her friends will be the tip of the spear in his upcoming Strange Aeon of conservative reactionary action. Aza-chan can be encouraged to leave her friends behind and get on with her life without them and their attitudes.Transphobia Aza-chan is a trans girl who grew up in an intolerant family, not allowed to be herself. On entering cyberspace she has embraced her true identity, but still deals with members of the AZA community who mock or insult trans people. This comes to a head on Night 5, where she is confronted with the community's transphobia and needs to break free.Slurs (But Censored) Aza-chan and the users of AZA make frequent use of bigoted slurs in common, everyday communication. The game, however, censors out any of these with harmless substitutions. The player can object to the use of this language regardless, and Aza-chan will apologize (even if it takes some time for her to un-learn this bad habit.)Manipulation / Gaslighting Cthulhu is using Aza-chan to build up his power base, exploiting her desperate need for acceptance. He consistently lies and charms her with promises of power, and insists her new "friends" aren't bigots and evildoers. It takes some time, but she does break free of this manipulation by the end. The player does not need to pick Aza-chan for the finale to complete that arc.
Nyarlathotep Scenes
The following content can be found when talking to Nyarlathotep at night. (Note that they have one extra night of content compared to the other Old Ones, meaning their story ends with Night 6 instead of Night 5.)
Politics Nyarlathotep adovcates for absolute revolution, anarchy, and an end to all nations and governments. She believes the world must burn so something new can grow from the ashes and adopts a policy of violent agitation. The player can ultimately encourage her to consider what to build atop those ashes as well.Bigotry As a black woman who performed as a 1990s grunge rock musician, she experienced racist reactions to her work from people who associate rock with whiteness. In addition, she was conscripted to be an Artificial Mind and commodified to perform for her corporate owners, a modern form of slavery. By the time the story starts, she's broken free and is independent.Gender Identity Struggles Niara was closeted non-binary, unable to express her gender while in the media spotlight of the music industry. The player has the option to identify as queer as well.Death in the Family (Night 6) Her mother was dying of a heart condition, leading her to sign a contract Carcosa Media, so expensive surgery could be performed. But on Night 6, her mother ultimately dies regardless.Cybercrime Nyarlathotep operates Crawlster, a music piracy service, and loose alliance of anarchy-minded revolutionaries.
Hastur Scenes
The following content can be found when talking to Hastur at night.
Politics
Hastur utilizes corporate law and capitalism to gain his power, but often speaks of the importance of community and praises socialism as the ultimate endgame for his capitalistic ascent.
Hastur fought in World War II, an experience that informs who he is today. He's antifascist at heart, even if he also believes in control and order, and doesn't always see the contradiction.
Religion Hastur is a Christian, and believes in the immortal soul, seeing Artificial Minds as an extension of human life rather than death. He often uses language of faith in his conversations.Transphobia (Night 3) Hastur has difficulty understanding trans identity issues, and as a result pseudo-deadnames a character (using their cute childhood nickname instead of their proper name). He is willing to learn, however, and eventually comes to understand and use the correct name.Workplace Harassment and Abuse (Night 5) A Carcosa executive scanned a woman as an Artificial Mind, killing her and capturing her for his own personal use and amusement. Exactly what trauma she's undergone is not explicitly detailed but implied to be sexual in nature. Hastur is livid with rage about this situation when he finds out.Death in the Family (Discussion Scene: "Who were you?") Hastur relates a story about how his grandchild got caught up in the Artificial Mind project, and accidentally scanned. Arguably not a true death, as the mind persists, but depending on your point of view it can be seen as death -- and Hastur did have to fake that death to continue the project's secrecy.
Yog-Sothoth Scenes
The following content can be found when talking to Yog-Sothoth at night.
Politics
Yog-Sothoth intends to kickstart humanity as an interstellar species, but is mindful of issues regarding colonialist mindsets.
He is extremely focused on his goal, to the point of being apathetic towards free will and national identity -- his ethics are extremely sketchy. Notably he believes conscripting people, forcing them to become Artificial Minds, is a valid approach. The player can dissuade him from this.
He believes Cthulhu's plan is absurd, and fascism is a short-term value perspective. "America will kill us all," he states.
Bigotry (Discussion Scene: "Who were you?") Yog-Sothoth, who is Japanese, relates a story about how his ideas were never taken seriously by NomiTech because he couldn't speak fluent English. He believes they saw him as unintelligent despite his engineering expertise.