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 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. 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.

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. 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, and it has 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 stunned and only usually enters a pain state if shot 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 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, it is much less durable than its counterparts as well, at a mere 32 Hit Points, but this is likely to make up for its newfound immunity to stuns. This Cybernetic Horror can advance even through a fusillade of Magick Missiles or even a Zapper without slowing much, so it is almost as dangerous as its two-headed counterpart from Armageddon. It is just as powerful as the other Demons offensively, too, so the player cannot take it lightly. Zappers can be used to bring them down fast if the player can afford them. When defeated, the Cyborg Demon collapses face-first on the ground.

The Blue Demon also reappears in Catacomb Apocalypse, with the exact same appearance and sprites it had in Catacomb Abyss. It is weaker, however (with 30 hit points), and it too possesses Stun immunity, which, again, necessitates that the player bring it down quickly.

The Cyborg Demon only shows on the Crystal Sphere if the player has the Red Jewel, and the Blue Demon only shows on the Sphere if the player has the Blue Jewel.

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.