Developer Randal Linden, who created the 1995 Super Nintendo port of Doom, is returning to improve it three decades later with Limited Run Games. Using a Raspberry Pi to emulate hardware, the updated version includes smoother gameplay and new features. The project fulfills a long-held idea to refine the technically challenging original release.
In 1994, Randal Linden joined Sculptured Software in San Diego to work on projects for the Super Nintendo. Inspired by a demonstration of Star Fox using the Super FX chip, Linden developed a homebrew kit by modifying Star Fox cartridges with RAM and a boot ROM connected to an Amiga computer. To test the Super FX chip, he began reverse-engineering Doom, creating a custom game engine from Matthew Fell’s unofficial specifications without using id Software’s original code. This effort impressed his team, leading to a deal with id Software for an official port, released in 1995 by Williams Entertainment and Linden. The SNES version suffered from low framerates, altered levels, missing floor and ceiling textures, and the omission of the fourth episode due to hardware limitations, despite the console's underpowered specs compared to PCs of the era. Linden described the original development: “I had this idea. Let’s go out to a store and buy the Star Fox cartridges, buy three or four of them. Open up the cartridge and replace the ROM with some RAM and a little tiny boot ROM.” The port remains notable for bringing a PC shooter to Nintendo hardware amid moral panics over violent games. Fast-forward to recent years, Audi Sorlie, a fan of Linden’s work since childhood and now lead producer at Limited Run Games, proposed revisiting the port after Linden released its source code in 2020. In an interview, Sorlie recalled asking Linden: “If you ever worked on this again, would you make any improvements or do anything differently?” Linden replied affirmatively but doubted interest. Sorlie pitched the idea to Limited Run, gaining support from license holder Bethesda. For the enhancement, Linden reverse-engineered his 30-year-old code and integrated a Raspberry Pi RP2350 chip into prototype cartridges. This setup emulates the out-of-production Super FX chip, allowing the SNES to run improved software seamlessly. “The Super Nintendo doesn’t know that it’s not talking to a Super FX,” Linden explained. The result features a faster framerate, circle strafing, restored content, and rumble support via a custom controller. Sorlie noted Bethesda’s reaction: “You want to go back and develop for Super Nintendo? Like, for real?” The project highlights creative solutions to retro hardware constraints, offering a refined experience on original consoles.
