Wadzilla. Play DOOM in Zork
Wadzilla is currently a PoC. Although in theory it “works”, it does not create an entertaining experience as a game, although to me it is quite fun just too see it output ZIL for all of the rooms in a DOOM WAD, with all of the objects in all of their correct locations by their plain English names, along with the 8-character names for the textures of the walls, floors, and ceilings in their relative positions in the room. Part of that enjoyment of course comes from knowing what it entails just to get that far, so the amount of entertainment you derive from that may be far less. In fact, I…
Wadzilla. Play DOOM in Zork launched on May 31, 2024 with 94 votes, #519 of 4,539 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 2 years on.
In plain words
Wadzilla is a proof-of-concept tool that converts DOOM WAD files into interactive fiction written in ZIL (Zork Implementation Language). It translates DOOM level geometry, objects, and textures into text-based room descriptions and game logic. The tool is designed for developers and enthusiasts interested in experimental game format conversion rather than producing a playable game, functioning primarily as a technical demonstration of cross-format translation.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
"It Runs Doom." "Zork?" "Yes." Wadzilla converts Doom WAD files into ZIL text format suitable for compilation to an Infocom-style game, because Doom on Everything. - Home · scottvr/wadzilla Wiki
Wadzilla is a tool used to convert DOOM WAD files to ZIL text output to facilitate playing DOOM on an Infocom Z-Machine. That is, to play DOOM in Zork. That seems a silly question, doesn’t it? I mean, because as I understand it, our goal is to have Doom run on every machine. This tool does not need any explanation to certain nerds above a certain age, but I realize now that it was a myopic viewpoint from which I incorrectly assumed that the necessity, utility, and purpose of Wadzilla was obvious. The first person I told what I was up to would have thought me completely insane did she not understand my love for creating ludicrous things precisely because they are ludicrous, but as such she…from github.com
In the maker’s words, at launch
Wadzilla is currently a PoC. Although in theory it “works”, it does not create an entertaining experience as a game, although to me it is quite fun just too see it output ZIL for all of the rooms in a DOOM WAD, with all of the objects in all of their correct locations by their plain English names, along with the…
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