After being ported to everything from printers and ATMs to pregnancy tests and vape devices, Doom is about to conquer another unlikely platform. This time, developer Steve McCrea is bringing id Software's legendary shooter to the Commodore 64, a computer that was discontinued just one year after Doom launched in 1993.

McCrea, whose previous work includes contributions to several Metroid titles and the virtual reality version of Resident Evil 4, has been documenting the project through updates on social media. Rather than attempting a direct recreation of the original engine, the port is built on technology from The Keep, a first-person dungeon crawler he originally developed for the Commodore VIC-20.Although the VIC-20 predates the Commodore 64 and features even more limited hardware, McCrea has significantly expanded the engine for this project. The game now uses a ray-casting system built around a tile-based world, allowing it to capture much of Doom's iconic first-person gameplay while remaining within the technical limits of the classic machine.

Unlike The Keep, which featured flat environments similar to early shooters like Wolfenstein 3D, the new Doom project introduces varying floor and ceiling heights, working elevators, opening doors, and visible player weapons. Recent demonstrations also showcase dynamic lighting effects and a fully rendered skybox, highlighting just how far the Commodore 64 can be pushed with modern programming techniques.

Development has already progressed through the entirety of Episode 1, from E1M1 to E1M8, according to McCrea. The project is still a work in progress, with the developer currently looking for assistance to recreate Doom's iconic soundtrack for the vintage hardware. While there's no release window yet, the ambitious fan project is already proving that one of gaming's most famous shooters can still find new ways to surprise players more than three decades after its debut.