DOOM finally inches closer to running on the Neo Geo AES

Over the years, classic DOOM has been ported over to a variety of devices ranging from thermal printers, calculators, smart fridges, pregnancy tests, and more. It ushered in a renaissance of the “can it run DOOM?” meme era, which continues to this day, and it does so for good reason. It’s because id Software’s 1993 FPS shooter is incredibly portable. However, one machine has resisted attempts at a DOOM port: SNK’s 1990 Neo Geo AES.

The Neo Geo AES packed some extremely powerful hardware for the ’90s, with its 68000 CPU and advanced sprite hardware for 2D games and shooters. Theoretically, the Neo Geo AES should run DOOM with relative ease. However, in practice, its architecture makes rendering 3D environments cumbersome.

This insight comes from veteran retro YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer (MVG), who explained it clearly in a recent video: “DOOM runs on everything. Well, almost everything. The SNK Neo Geo AES console is a 2D sprite-pushing beast, but when it comes to 3D, it’s not architected to handle it. However, with some hardware tricks, it IS possible to build a simple raycaster that runs on Neo Geo hardware, but does this mean DOOM is possible?”

MVG used the Neo Geo’s sprite-scaling ability to create environments from vertically stretched sprites for walls, floors, ceilings, corridors, and nothing more, which rendered at around 8 frames per second. MVG further stated in his video, “I don’t want to say it’s impossible, because as soon as you say that something is impossible, the gauntlet has been thrown down.”

The modding community took on the DOOM Neo Geo AES port challenge almost immediately. On June 7, MVG woke up, checked X, and was shocked. He wrote on X: “Wow, my Neo Geo raycaster has been modified to push Doom-like gameplay through the hardware. Another step closer to Neo Geo DOOM!” He also posted an update video on YouTube, complimenting the team behind the project.

The gauntlet has been picked up by the DoomGeo project, which has expanded what’s possible on the hardware while respecting its limitations. The developers have managed to add a full DOOM-style HUD with status bar, Doomguy’s mugshot, ammo counters, the BFG, monsters, and much more.

Preorder the NEO GEO AES+ Anniversary Edition on Amazon here