Demon



Among the most powerful enemies in Catacomb 3D and the Catacomb Adventure Series, Demons are high-level enemies noted for their very high damage output and unprecedentedly high durability. A number of different ones appear in the different games, but all of them are towering, heavily-muscled brutes with fearsome claws and a maw full of massive sharp teeth.

Versions of them appear in every game in the franchise, as well as in the related Hovertank 3D.

In Hovertank 3D


The Demon or Mutant Demon is the very first entity encountered in the game Hovertank 3D. In the apocalyptic science fiction setting, these are said to be atomic mutants, indicative by their melting flesh. They are a melee enemy, serving more as a threat to the hostages that need to be saved than to the player themselves. Like every entity in the game, they are one shot kills.

In Catacomb 3D


The Demon is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the single biggest threat the player will encounter in Catacomb 3D, and that arguably includes the last boss. While it has the same movement pattern and tactics as the Troll, the Demon is an order of magnitude stronger, doing even more damage per hit and having an unbelievable 50 Hit Points. Whereas a Bolt spell will reliably clear a hallway of lesser foes in a single salvo, the Demon can directly tank an entire barrage from that spell and still have the health to nearly endure half of a second casting. This unprecedented toughness makes the Demon a formidable foe to face solo, but groups of Demons, which the player will encounter in the last two levels, are the toughest foes the player will have to face. They are also easily the strongest monsters offensively, able to kill the player in about seven hits.

When faced singly, rapid-fire uncharged shots will do a solid job of gradually whittling down the Demon's health; keep the shots coming and it shouldn't be able to counter-attack. While time-consuming, this is the most efficient way to take one down without spending resources. Unfortunately, the Demon will often appear in groups of two or more, a situation that can lead to the player's death in short order. Demon encounters are the main reason you hoarded your Spell Orbs up till this point; a fight with more than one absolutely justifies spending one or two of your Bolts or Nukes. When slain, a Demon melts.

Demons appear in both Halls of Blood and Nemesis's Lair.

In Catacomb Abyss


The Demon returns in Catacomb Abyss, with a new subspecies. The Blue Demon is encountered earlier on, and while a different-looking foe than its original cousin encountered later, the two are actually identical statistically, featuring the same amount of Hit Points (50) and doing the exact same amount of damage (15). The Blue Demon first appears in The Subterranean Vault. The original Red Demon does appear later on, in The Inner Sanctum and The Haunt of Nemesis, being just as tough and aggressive as its original Catacomb 3D counterpart. When destroyed, it melts just like its red cousin.

The biggest difference between the Catacomb Abyss Demons and their Catacomb 3D incarnation is that the ones in Catacomb Abyss are much more resistant to hitstun. While they can still be interrupted from attacking with rapid fire, they take a lot more to slow down than the ones in Catacomb 3D and will continue to advance on the player's position even under a salvo of fire. It is highly recommended to use Zappers or Xterminators to deal with larger groups of Demons, and to take advantage of Crystal Hour Glasses when possible.

The Blue Demon does not show up on the Crystal Sphere unless the player has the Blue Jewel, in which case they show up as a (somewhat hard to see) blue dot.

Similarly, the Red Demon requires the Red Jewel to detect.

In Catacomb Armageddon


The Two-Headed Demon is a new breed of Demon in Catacomb Armageddon, and quite possibly the strongest in the series. While it does the same damage as its earlier cousins from Catacomb Abyss (15 Damage), and have the same amount of Hit Points (50), it's got a new trick up its sleeve that makes it easily the most dangerous one in the entire series so far: Due to its additional bulk, the Two-Headed Demon cannot be easily stunned, only entering a pain state if shot with a barrage of shots, or with a Zapper. This means it's impossible to stop it from attacking at close-range, necessitating that the player throw everything at bringing it down (or backing off) before it can get in close. It is worth an Xterminator or two or a few Zappers to put these things down before they can get their fangs on you, so don't scrimp.

The Two-Headed Demon requires the Red Jewel to show up on the Crystal Sphere.

When destroyed, its body disintegrates, causing its dual heads to fall to the floor.

In Catacomb Apocalypse


The Cyborg Demon is a new foe introduced in Catacomb Apocalypse. While much more intimidating than previous Demons, and just as damaging (15 Damage), it is much less durable than its counterparts as well (with 32 Hit Points), but it has the same stun resistance as the Two-Headed Demon from Armageddon, which means it's capable of advancing through a fusillade of Magick Missiles or even a Zapper without breaking stride. What makes this cybernetic horror especially dangerous, however, is that it tends to appear alongside other threats, such as Walking Tanks. These units provide long-ranged support for the Cyborg Demon's powerful melee, and together, they're a particularly dangerous pair.

It's often a good idea to take advantage of the terrain to bait Demons away from one another, and more importantly, their escorts, so you can deal with them (and any Walking Tanks) piecemeal. It's important to not let yourself get surrounded, because while they're easier to kill than other Demons, they hit just as hard.

When destroyed, the Cyborg Demon shuts down and collapses forwards.

They require the Red Jewel to appear on the Crystal Sphere, and appear as a red dot.

Interestingly, the Blue Demon also reappears in Catacomb Apocalypse, with the exact same appearance and sprites it had in Catacomb Abyss. It does the same damage (15) as it did before, but is much easier to kill than it was in Catacomb Abyss (with 30 hit points). It is, however, just as stun-resistant as its cybernetic cousin, which, again, necessitates that the player bring it down quickly. While it does tend to show up alongside a ranged unit like the Cyborg Demon does - specifically Wizards in this case - the ranged units it chooses to roll with are very easy to kill compared to the Walking Tanks deployed with the Cyborg Demons, and much less of a threat.

When destroyed, the Blue Demon shares the same melting animation it had in Abyss.

The Blue Demon only shows up on the Crystal Sphere if you have the Blue Jewel, where they appear as a blue dot.

Trivia

 * The Demon is the only enemy, other than Nemesis, to show up in every Catacomb game in some capacity or another.
 * The Demon of Catacomb 3D has a famous legacy. Originally sprited by Adrian Carmack, it would later inspire both the Baron of Hell and Pink Demon in Doom.
 * Carmack did the spritework in that game as well, and the Demon enemies of Catacomb have similar animations to the Baron.
 * Amusingly, this means that the very first game Id worked on that involved fighting Demons in Hell was Catacomb 3D and the Catacomb Adventure Series.
 * As well as the first encounter with a Cybernetically-enhanced Demon in Catacomb Apocalypse. There's something to be said for good ideas.