The Backdooms

The Backdooms

Running DOOM on a QR Code

Overview

The Backdooms is an experimental, self-contained HTML game that fits entirely inside a QR code. Inspired by the classic DOOM (1993) and the eerie atmosphere of The Backrooms, this project is a week-long study in extreme compression and innovative web techniques. With its ultra-minified code and ingenious use of the DecompressionStream API, you can play a DOOM-inspired experience directly from a scanned QR code—no downloads, no installations, just pure retro gaming in your browser.

Features

• Fully Offline: Once scanned, the entire game is stored in the URL, so no internet connection is needed.
• Extreme Compression: Combines Zlib compression with Gzip decompression and Base64 encoding to squeeze an entire game into roughly 2.5 KB of data.
• Self-Extracting Webpage: Leverages modern browser APIs to decompress and execute the game on the fly.
• Innovative Demo: A technical marvel that pushes the limits of QR code storage, showing that even a classic like DOOM can be reinvented in a modern, constrained format.

How It Works

The game’s HTML is aggressively minified and embedded in a data URI. A custom Python script reads your HTML game file, compresses and encodes it, and then generates a QR code. Just scan the QR with your smartphone or any QR reader, and the game launches immediately in your browser.

Credits & Inspiration

• DOOM (1993): A nod to the legendary first-person shooter by id Software.
• The Backrooms: Influencing the eerie, maze-like aesthetic of the game.
• Musical Homage: Enjoy a retro, 8-bit rendition of Bonetrousle inspired by Undertale’s chiptune vibes.
• Developed by: Kuber Mehta (@Kuberwastaken)
• Special thanks to matttkc and Toby Fox for sparking the idea and musical inspiration.

Experience a piece of gaming history reimagined for the modern web. Scan the QR code, and step into The Backdooms—where every scan is a doorway to nostalgia, innovation, and pure, compressed chaos. Enjoy the ride!