When a game like Doom exists, you can almost guarantee someone will port it to an unexpected device – which is exactly what’s happened with the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo stunned the gaming community last month by unveiling a novel gadget; it wasn’t the Nintendo Switch Pro or its hypothetical successor, but rather a smart alarm clock. The notion of a Nintendo Alarmo could be utterly timely, and its absurdity is glaringly obvious. A Nintendo-themed alarm clock, dedicated to awakening with iconic sound effects and melodies from beloved games and franchises?
Instantly being jolted awake without warning doesn’t foster a connection to the soothing familiarity of Mario’s iconic soundtracks. The Game Boy Color’s unconventional revelation aside, its singular asset ensured its fate: the presence of a screen, allowing – theoretically – for Doom to be ported onto it. And now, somebody has.
Gary OderNichts, a well-known Wii U reverse engineer, recently posted a video to his private Twitter account showing a basic first-person shooter running on an Arduino platform. It’s not just about using it as a display case; Gary cleverly repurposes the Alarmo’s twisty knob as a navigational input, effortlessly manipulating the game with subtle rotations – counter-clockwise for leftward movement, clockwise for rightward – and utilizing the device’s other buttons to fire. While it’s true that running Doom on a Nintendo 64 may seem like an unusual combination, is there anything more you can reasonably expect from this unlikely pairing?
As the latest iteration of Doom’s most recent incarnation, this is the most obvious attempt to run the game on as many devices possible – yes, including everything from a garden mower to a Lego brick and even the humble Notepad software. As technological advancements continue to emerge, I’m confident that novel ways to play Doom will arise, potentially perplexing future civilizations – humans or extraterrestrial life forms alike – should human civilization ultimately succumb to catastrophic collapse.
