Ever wanted to relive the nostalgia of your childhood, replaying NES classics but felt too alienated by the archaic two-dimensional presentation? 3dSen might just be what you’re looking for. While it doesn’t entirely remake retro games, it presents them in a way never possible before. In actual 3D. Sort of.
You see, the talented folks over at Geod Studio have created a nifty little software in 3dSen PC that transforms retro NES titles into pseudo-3D. But that doesn’t mean that Super Mario Bros. suddenly turns into Mario 64. No, the game stays exactly the same type of game it originally was just with more depth. Quite literally.
The implementation of 3D varies from game to game, with some tilting and shifting the entire playing field according to the player’s control, others turning every flat block and sprite into a 3D asset. With the overwhelming majority of NES games being 2D, to begin with, games become 2.5D. Similar to modern three-dimensional games ala Batman: Blackgate, Shadow Complex etc.. The effect works surprisingly well for some titles, transforming them basically into proper 3D remakes while others profit from the enhancement on in minuscule ways.
There’s a caveat, however. Only a select number of NES games is supported by 3dSen PC, so you won’t be able to play the vast NES library in a new way sadly. The growing list of supported games is 70 titles strong for now but the developer is continuously adding more to it. You can check out all supported games here.
On top of that, Geod Studio also released 3dSen VR. As the name already implies, it allows playing 3D enhanced NES games in virtual reality for that extra immersion. 3dSen PC and 3dSen VR are available right now on Steam for $8.99 and $19.99 respectively. It’s a brilliant new way to experience retro classics, especially with the recent resurgence of retro gaming into the mainstream thanks to the plethora of classic mini consoles.
Since the developer cannot use official NES games to promote in their trailer, we absolutely recommend watching this Youtube user try out various real NES titles. The results are astonishing!
