A solo developer has created a fully explorable cyberpunk city rendered almost entirely using ASCII characters, contained within a single HTML file. This project eschews traditional 3D models and game engines like Unity or Unreal, instead employing a custom ray-casting engine. This engine processes a grid-based 3D world, determining the position and height of elements like roads, buildings, and people. Each frame, rays are cast from the camera, and the first object they encounter is rendered as an ASCII character. The distance to this object dictates its perspective, size, and depth in the ASCII output.
The initial prototype rendered at a resolution of 120 x 56 ASCII characters, with noticeable flickering. Despite this, the developer's first demonstration video garnered over a million views, suggesting a strong interest in visual styles beyond photorealism. Since its initial release, the developer has continued to refine the project. A playable version is now available via Ko-Fi, featuring an increased resolution of 180 x 80 ASCII characters for a smoother and more detailed experience. Engine improvements have also been implemented.
Further updates have introduced interior spaces and multiple floors to the buildings, offering new perspectives within the ASCII metropolis. The developer, operating under Grow Now! Games, has expressed intentions to expand the prototype into a more fully-featured game, with plans to implement a dialogue system. While not the first game to utilize an ASCII art style, with titles like Effulgence RPG also employing the aesthetic, this cyberpunk city project stands out for its ambitious scope and single-file HTML execution.