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‘1337doom’ Has You Trapped in ‘The Matrix’
Thanks to the readily-available source code, you’ve played Brutal Doom, OMDO, and even experienced the joy of Doom with loot boxes. Now, get ready to play Doom in ASCII code! Yep, it’s another one of those odd Doom mods.
Indie developer Dario Zubovoic has taken the id classic and created 1337doom, which is Doom rendered entirely in ASCII code. What that means is that all of the graphics in the game are all comprised of letters, numbers, and symbols. Think of what Keanu Reeves saw in The Matrix, and you’ll get the idea. And yes, in case you’re wondering, there’s a monochrome mode.
Of course, if you really want a challenge, you can up the difficulty. But instead of increasing the strength of the denizens of Hell, it simply makes the ASCII characters larger, making it difficult to discern just what exactly you’re looking at. Throw in the redone soundtrack by Sydney-based band Turtle Skull, and 1337doom is surprisingly fun.
Well, it’s Doom, after all.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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