Doom's been ported to everything from toasters to refrigerators, seemingly leaving little room for truly novel platforms. However, a high school student has achieved the improbable: running Doom within a PDF file viewable in a browser.
While features like text and sound are absent, the ability to play E1M1 while ostensibly working on taxes is undeniably appealing.
Github user ading2210, inspired by the TetrisPDF project, leveraged Javascript within a browser's PDF reader to accomplish this feat. Browser security limitations restrict the full potential of PDF scripting, but sufficient functionality remained to port Doom.
Using a six-color ASCII grid for sprites and graphics, ading2210 created a surprisingly readable, albeit slow (80ms per frame), version of Doom.
Although it won't replace your PS5, the accomplishment of running Doom inside a PDF is noteworthy, particularly given the game's legibility.
TetrisPDF creator Thomas Rinsma commented on Hacker News, praising ading2210's version for its superior neatness.
While not ideal for a first Doom experience, the ongoing trend of running Doom on unconventional platforms – from devices to files, even gut bacteria – remains endlessly entertaining.
