Quandoom is a tongue-in-cheek port of the first level of DOOM, built as a quantum circuit in QASM. Its premise plays on the “anything can run DOOM” meme and the lack of practical applications for quantum computers: the circuit uses roughly 70,000 qubits and 80 million gates, far beyond the capabilities of any existing quantum computer. A lightweight C++ simulator runs it on an ordinary laptop at about 10-20 frames per second, though loading and playing require around 5-6 GB of memory. The project also provides the code used to generate the circuit and an explanatory research paper.
Each game frame follows a circuit-based loop: pressing a key sets an input qubit, the full sequence of quantum gates is applied, and 64,000 output qubits are measured to produce a 320-by-200 monochrome image. The display and inputs are then reset before the next frame. The result recreates only the first level and omits features such as sound, secrets, and the automap. Reversibility constraints shape several compromises: the world appears in x-ray style, enemies cannot move between rooms, an imp’s fireball acts like a hitscan attack, and some health, armor, and damage rules are adjusted. The project is presented as a noncommercial joke rather than a replacement for the original game.
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