Minecraft fan recreates 90s gaming vibes with retro shader pack

Minecraft's appearance can be changed drastically using shader packs. Some of them can make the game look realistic, while others can emulate the look of classic games of the bygone era. The best part is that most of the shaders are available for free and quite easy to download or implement.

Redditor TheSimonkey shared some images on r/Minecraft, showing a shader they've developed inspired by the popular 2018 game Return of the Obra Dinn. The user mentioned that the look of the shaders can be customized to make it look like other retro gaming systems from the 90s, like the Virtualboy, Gameboy, the first PlayStation, and even the Macintosh Classic.

gooosekid said they recognized the look of the shader was inspired by Obra Dinn before even reading the description. They also mentioned that it looked quite good. Other players also pointed out how good Obra Dinn was, with Crabjock saying OP nailed the look of Obra Dinn, emphasizing how good the game is to those who haven't played or heard of it.

Meme-Feed said this hit them right in the nostalgia — like stepping back into the Alpha or early Beta days. The chunky, simple textures just work, especially paired with modern lighting. They felt it was super clean, classic Minecraft without feeling old. EgeProX called it the most unique shader they have ever come across.

Redditors react to the retro shader pack for the blocky game (Image via Reddit)

wisemeat jokingly called the shaders “Minecraft: Gameboy Edition,” while NicoTheBear64 added to the joke by saying that they can finally play the blocky game on Vectrex. For those who do not know, the Vectrex was a gaming console that came out way back in the 1980s.

coolmint859 this was awesome and asked if there’s any way to see the shader code or at least get a description of the technique used. DarkDakurai said this looks like Return of the Obra Craft, joining the names of the two games.

Different shaders for Minecraft

Vibrant Visuals improves how the blocky world looks (Image via Mojang Studios)

One of the weakest points of the blocky game is how dated it looks. Minecraft's aesthetics have remained more or less the same over the years. The recently released Vibrant Visuals has improved the lighting and shadows along with other visual aspects. However, it is currently available only for the Bedrock Edition.

Thankfully, many shader packs can change how the game looks and most of them are quite creative. Players can even turn the game look like Lego or some classic game like Legend of Zelda. This goes to show how active and dedicated the game’s community is.

Edited by Angad Sharma