1991 · First-person shooter · Shooter

Catacomb 3-D

Catacomb 3-D is the third in the Catacomb series of video games, and the first of these games to feature 3D computer graphics. The game was originally published by Softdisk under the Gamer's Edge label, and is a first-person shooter with a dark fantasy setting. The player takes control of the high wizard Petton Everhail, descending into the catacomb of the Towne Cemetery to defeat the evil lich Nemesis and rescue his friend Grelminar.

Released: 1 November 1991
Platforms: MS-DOS
Genres: First-person shooter Shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: Softdisk
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Fantasy Historical
Engine: Wolfenstein 3D engine
Country: United States
Directors: Tom Hall
Composers: Robert Prince

About

Catacomb 3-D (also known as Catacomb 3-D: A New Dimension, Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, and Catacombs 3) is a first-person shooter video game, the third in the Catacomb series, the first of which to feature 3D computer graphics. It was developed by id Software and originally published by Softdisk under the Gamer's Edge label, released in November 1991. The player takes control of the high wizard Petton Everhail, descending into the catacombs of the Towne Cemetery to defeat the evil lich Nemesis and rescue his friend Grelminar.

Catacomb 3-D is a landmark title in terms of first-person graphics. It is one of the first examples of the modern, character-based first-person shooter genre, and a direct ancestor to the games that popularized the genre. It was released for MS-DOS with EGA graphics. The game introduced the concept of showing the player's hand in the three-dimensional viewpoint, and an enhanced version of its technology was later used for the more successful Wolfenstein 3D.

Keywords

orcs
bloody
medieval
magic
minigames
2.5d
maze
pixel art
teleportation
sequel
high score
bats

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

The origin of the games is Catacomb by John Carmack for IBM PC compatibles and Apple II. This was a two-dimensional game using a third-person view from above, released in 1989–1990. It was followed up with Catacomb II, which used the same game engine with new levels. The first release of Catacomb 3-D was called Catacomb 3-D: A New Dimension, but was later re-released as Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, as well as Catacombs 3 for a re-release as commercially packaged software (the earlier versions had been released by other means such as disk magazines and downloads).

The game creators were John Carmack, John Romero, Jason Blochowiak (programmers), Tom Hall (creative director), Adrian Carmack (artist), and Robert Prince (musician). The game was programmed using the Borland C++ programming language.

Reception

According to John Romero, the team felt it lacked the coolness and fun of Commander Keen, although the 3D technology was interesting to work with. Computer Gaming World in May 1993 called The Catacomb Abyss "very enjoyable" despite the "minimal" EGA graphics and sound. The magazine stated in February 1994 that Terror of the Catacombs's "playability is good, almost addictive, and offers bang for the buck in spite of its lackluster" EGA graphics. Transend Services Ltd. sold over 1,000 copies of the game in the first month of its release.