Duke Nukem 3D would be more accurately described as Duke Nukem 2.5D, given how its Build engine blends three-dimensional world geometry with flat sprites for in-game objects and characters. Sure, it would have sold far fewer copies with such a title, but at least it would have been correct. Now, though, it won't be long until 3D Realms' 1996 shooter fully embraces length, breadth and depth, thanks to one intrepid modder utterly obsessed with voxels.
Said modder is Dan Peterson, who goes by the monicker Cheello, a game developer specialising in voxel tech who spends his spare time bulking out classic 90s shooters using the pixel's three-dimensional equivalent. Peterson's first project was Blood: Coagulated, which replaces the enemies and objects of Monolith's 1997 shooter with fatter, voxel-based versions. But Peterson is best known for his 2022 mod Voxel Doom, which brought us chunky pinkies, beefier hellknights, and truly round Cacodemons.
Now, Peterson has revealed Voxel Duke Nukem 3D, debuting the project in a trailer on YouTube. "All monsters, babes, props and more have been fully converted to 3D voxel models." Peterson writes in the trailer description. "Blast your way through the first 3 original episodes with voxelized assets, creating a modernized feel to Duke like never before."
It seems Voxel Duke Nukem 3D has been a considerably heavier lift than Peterson's previous projects. Over on X, Peterson says Voxel Duke Nukem 3D was "3 years in the making" and features "Nearly a thousand voxels."
While the trailer only gives us a sliver of the game to judge from, it appears Peterson has outdone himself. Its voxel-ized space shuttles, blimps and pig-cops blend even more naturally with 3D Realm's blocky urban spaces than Voxel Doom's swole demons. Granted, Duke Nukem 3D's more muted art style may assist things here, but still, it's sterling work.
This isn't the first time a developer has tried to pour extra protein powder down Duke's 2.5D throat. An Unreal Engine 3 remake of Duke 3D was in development at Interceptor Entertainment circa 2010. This was put on indefinite hold due to a dispute between Interceptor and the remake's publisher, Gearbox. But a build of it leaked online in 2023, giving us some idea of what it would have looked like. 3D Realms also remade Duke 3D's most famous level—Hollywood Holocaust, in the original Unreal engine, while developing the abandoned 2001 build of Duke Nukem Forever.
There's no release date for Voxel Duke Nukem 3D yet—Peterson simply says it's "coming soon". But unlike 3D Realms, Peterson has demonstrated an aptitude for actually finishing his projects, so I feel comfortable taking him at his word.
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