Experience classic NES games from the 1980s in Full 3D with 3dSen

3dSen has been in development for 10 years and is a passion project for Geod Studio. More than an emulator that lets you play classic games from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console from the 1980s, it transforms them (it has a growing list of supported games) with 3D voxel visuals.

The effect of converting old 2D 8-bit sprite visuals into 3D is like playing classic video games from the '80s on an animated 3D diorama or hologram. 3dSen was developed with VR and PC displays in mind, and the process involved painstakingly building support for over 100 NES games, with features like quick save, rewind, custom camera rotation and zoom, and more.

3dSen just hit a significant milestone. It's now available in Version 1.0 form on Steam with a special 40% off launch discount. The list of supported games includes classics like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Super Mario Bros. 3, Mega Man 2, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Excitebike, and more.

3dSen is compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS, and with the addition of the 3dSenMaker tool, community members now can handcraft 3D profiles for their favorite games. Of course, even though it's more than an emulator, 3dSen still exists in the world of illegal ROMs and backups of classic games, meaning that you'll need to source games (or create backups of your own NES cartridges) to use the app.

However, as seen in the trailer above, the results are impressive. Seeing 2D sprites, characters, and environments come alive in 3D - while maintaining their primitive visuals - is enough to make what was old feel new again.