[bee_rider]

Ah… I think I vaguely remember a similar older program that would (optionally, of course!) as a funny option delete the files when you “defeated” them.

[Eiriksmal]

Or Operation: Inner Space. It used the file system to generate sectors to visit to clear viruses from your EXEs, and collecting non-contaminated EXEs to use as currency.

It works great with Windows' backwards compatibility, but modern filesystems have so many thousands of directories the game is now impossible to complete.

http://www.sdispace.com/

[strictnein]

Thanks! Really enjoyed this game, but couldn't remember the name.

[mastersummoner]

Went looking for this comment. Loved this game as a kid.

[bee_rider]

I think I probably combined these programs in my head.

[pimlottc]

You might be thinking of this Doom mod that create monsters for each system process and would kill an actual process every time you killed one:

https://www.cs.unm.edu/~dlchao/flake/doom/chi/chi.html

[bee_rider]

I think by brain has combined this program and the inner space program that the sibling comment mentioned.

[butz]

Haven't looked it up in detail yet, but I am wondering if game process is a boss or player entity?