Developer PaisleyBoxers releases Backrooms 32X, a procedural horror game for Sega 32X

Published Jul 23, 01:31 PM UTC

Editorial responsibility

Prepared by: WorldAttention Editorial Systems
Human review: No named human review is recorded for this page.
Automated steps: Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
Page status: Automatically published source-backed update

How automation and AI are used · Report a correction or rights issue

Developer PaisleyBoxers has released Backrooms 32X, a first-person horror game for the Sega 32X console, inspired by the internet Backrooms phenomenon. The game features a custom raycasting engine written in C and SH-2 assembly, with procedural level generation, dual-CPU rendering, and support for crawling and crouching. It includes buzzing fluorescents, damp carpet aesthetics, and endless yellow rooms. The game is open source, available on GitHub and itch.io as a 1.5MB ROM, and works on original hardware, MiSTer FPGA, and emulators like RetroArch and BlastEm. A six-button controller is recommended. The release highlights a technical tour de force for the 1994-era platform.

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 directly from the Backrooms internet phenomenon—the dingy, yellowing liminal spaces that gained renewed popularity 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.

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—in a procedurally generated environment that promises endless replayability. Additional features include:

Community maps built by fellow players
Browser-based level editor for contributing your own map designs
Crawl and crouch mechanics allowing the player to squeeze through crawlspaces, maintaining Backrooms aesthetics and gameplay

A six-button Sega control pad (rather than the standard three-button) is recommended for original 32X hardware to enjoy full control.

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 and can be obtained via itch.io (version 164, released a few hours ago).

You do not need original Sega 32X hardware and a flashcart to play. PaisleyBoxers confirms the game also works on:

MiSTer FPGA
32X-capable emulators such as RetroArch, BlastEm, Ares, or Kega Fusion

For the latest news, in-depth reviews, and updates, subscribe to the Tom's Hardware newsletter or follow us on Google News.

Source

Latest from Tom's HardwareNeutral / independent

Original headline: 1994 Sega 32X gets first-person Backrooms game with raycasting engine ‚Äî retro hardware tour de force includes yellow rooms, buzzing fluorescents, endless procedurally generated levels

Original language: EN

Part of this Story

Backrooms 32X: New Homebrew Game for Sega 32X Brings Procedural Horror to Retro Hardware

See the full Story: all sources and camp coverage

People and interests

GitHub