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TechDeveloper PaisleyBoxers releases Backrooms 32X, a first-person game for the Sega 32X
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Developer PaisleyBoxers has released Backrooms 32X, a first-person adventure game for the Sega 32X console set in the internet phenomenon known as the Backrooms. The game features a custom raycasting engine written in C and SH-2 assembly, with some AI assistance, and runs on original hardware, MiSTer FPGA, and emulators. It includes procedurally generated endless levels, community maps, a browser-based level editor, and mechanics like crawling and crouching. Technical highlights include dual-CPU rendering, dynamic lighting, distance fog, and a live 3D intro. The game is open source, available on GitHub and itch.io as a 1.5MB ROM, and is free to download. A six-button Sega controller is recommended for full control.
Source report
Developer PaisleyBoxers has released Backrooms 32X, a new game for the Sega 32X with the tagline: "welcome to the cutting edge of 1994." The title draws on the Backrooms internet phenomenon—the dingy, yellowing liminal spaces that gained widespread attention following the release of a psychological horror indie film earlier this year.
Despite the 32X's age and limited resources, the developers have captured the Backrooms' signature atmosphere of "buzzing fluorescents, damp carpet, walls that go on too long" using a raycasting engine written from scratch in C and SH-2 assembly, with some assistance from Claude AI.
Above: A slightly earlier build of Backrooms 32X running on real Sega 32X hardware. Since that release, objects can now be pushed over, and chairs can appear in rooms.
Gameplay and Features
Backrooms 32X is a claustrophobic adventure game set in the signature endless yellowed-beige rooms. Players seek exits—then another exit, and another. Key features include:
- Procedurally generated levels for endless replayability
- Community maps built by fellow players
- Browser-based level editor for contributing your own designs
- Crawl and crouch mechanics—your first-person character can squeeze through crawlspaces, maintaining Backrooms aesthetics and gameplay
A six-button Sega control pad (rather than the standard three-button) is recommended for full control when playing on original 32X hardware.
Technical Achievements
The most noteworthy aspect of Backrooms 32X is its technical execution. Highlights include:
- Endless liminal space with procedurally generated levels
- Dual-CPU rendering utilizing both 32X SH-2 processors
- Real raycaster rendering textured DDA walls, dynamic ceiling lighting, distance fog, thin partition walls, and half-height cubicle dividers you can see over
- Crawl and crouch with full eye-height perspective
- Live, not pre-rendered, 3D intro sequence
Availability and Compatibility
Backrooms 32X is free and open source, available on GitHub. The ROM-ready download is a trivial 1.5MB (version 164, released a few hours ago) via itch.io.
You don't need original hardware to play. PaisleyBoxers confirms the game also works on:
- MiSTer FPGA
- 32X-capable emulators such as RetroArch, BlastEm, Ares, or Kega Fusion
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Part of this Story
Sega 32X Gets First-Person Backrooms Game with Raycasting Engine