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Catacomb 3-D

aka: Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, Catacombs 3

Description official descriptions

You are a mage descending into the dungeons of Grelminar the Lich, in order to kill him and save one guy named Nemesis.

Catacomb 3-D is a simple fantasy first-person shooter game. To get to Grelminar, you have to complete several maze-like levels. Your sole weapon is a fireball spell, which can be used an unlimited number of times and can be charged up to cause more damage. You can also find one-time use items: bolts and nukes. A bolt launches several fireballs in a machine-gun fashion, while a nuke launches a ring of fireballs in all directions.

The various enemies (such as orcs or trolls) that you meet while exploring are the main target for those fireballs. However, you can also destroy whole sections of walls, which is often necessary to complete the level.

Items you can find include (apart from bolts and nukes) healing potions, keys to open doors, and scrolls that provide hints.

There isn't an overhead map in the game, but you have a compass to guide you. What's more, various areas of the map have specific names displayed at the bottom of the screen, making it a bit easier to navigate.

Groups +

Screenshots

Credits (DOS version)

6 People

Reviews

Trivia

Catacomb

What's the difference between the two Catacomb Abyss games? Well, they're very similar, but two different game releases. Catacombs 3-D came first, completed in 1991 and released in 1992, as part of the Gamer's Edge series before id split, including Keen Dreams, Hovertank, Dangerous Dave etc.

The Catacomb Abyss (a 3-episode game, the 1st being shareware) was released later in 1992. It uses the same engine but was NOT developed by the id guys, but rather other Softdisk people after id left.

Engine

The engine for this game was later re-used in its sequel, The Catacomb Abyss.

UI

As a time-saver, much of the interface is based on Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy (see screenshots).

Information also contributed by Trixter

Related Games

Catacomb
Released 1990 on DOS, 1991 on Apple IIgs, Apple II
Catacomb II
Released 1991 on DOS
The Catacomb Abyss
Released 1992 on DOS
Descent³ / Descent³: Mercenary
Released 1999 on Windows
3-D Docking
Released 1978 on Apple II
Road Rash 3-D
Released 1998 on PlayStation
3-D Body Adventure
Released 1994 on DOS, 1995 on Windows, Windows 3.x
Descent³: Mercenary
Released 1999 on Windows
Tobidasu! Untei 3-D
Released 2010 on J2ME, DoJa

Related Sites +

  • Catacomb Crypt
    Anything and everything you need to know about the Catacomb series.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 3120

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Andy Voss.

Additional contributors: Terok Nor, CheshireCat, Frenkel, CalaisianMindthief, Patrick Bregger.

Game added January 22nd, 2001. Last modified February 27th, 2023.