“But can it run Doom” is a question humankind has asked of every device released since around the mid-1990s; only recently, for example, our Ian covered the port of id Software’s classic shooter to Nintendo’s new Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros gadget.
Developers @gamecactus and @FSouchu's new Doom port for PICO-8 is, if anything, even more remarkable: they’ve managed to fit a fully-functioning version of the game into Lexaloffle’s tiny fantasy console, complete with mouse support.
In case you aren’t aware, PICO-8 is a virtual system designed to mimick the computers and consoles of the late 1980s, with a 128×128 display and 32k ‘cartridges’.
We’ve seen some impressive stuff produced within the confines of PICO-8, though, including a chunky port of Virtua Racer and a shrunk-down yet hugely playable homage to Fez.
This new Doom port – named Poom – is a quite mesmerising feat. Sure, the pseudo-3D graphics are blocky, which is a given, but pretty much all the features you’d expect are here. Best of all, you can play it in your browser for free over at itch.io.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll go back to getting our Pong clone up and running in PICO-8.
Thanks to @nanark_ for the heads-up on Poom.
