Catacomb (series)
This article is for the entire game series; for other uses see Catacomb
"The game is called Catacomb right? Well I haven’t seen one link in the games that would hint to you actually being in the catacomb. Especially in Abyss and in Armageddon where almost everything takes place outside. Now what is with that? There are no mentions of Catacomb shelves and the like. So why was the game called Catacomb? Well we will never know."
--Description, Catacomb Crypt
Catacomb or Catacombs is a series of video games created by Softdisk, featuring the wizard Petton Everhail.
After first passing to Flat Rock Software, the series rights are currently held by Catacomb Games.
IBM PC compatibles[edit]
The original 2D games for IBM PC compatibles running DOS, and the first 3D one, were created by John Carmack with assistance from the other founders of id Software then operating as Gamer's Edge. The second game was later reissued stand-alone as The Catacomb in 1993, while Catacomb 3D was also known as Catacomb 3D: A New Dimension and later as Catacombs 3 and Catacomb 3D: The Descent after retail release by GT Interactive in 1993.
- Catacomb (1990)
- Catacomb II (1991)
- Catacomb 3D (1991)
The Catacomb Adventure Series were expansions to Catacomb 3D created by a second team at Gamer's Edge, who largely went on to form JAM Productions. Although always trending towards dark fantasy, this new trilogy is infused with more distinct themes of gothic horror and ultimately also science fiction.
- Catacomb Abyss (1992)
- Catacomb Armageddon (1992)
- Catacomb Apocalypse (1993)
Abyss was released as shareware; the latter two were subsequently published to retail in 1993 by Froggman under the titles Curse of the Catacombs and Terror of the Catacombs.
Apple II[edit]
An Apple II version of Catacomb appeared on issue #114 of Softdisk in March 1991 with a now plural title.
- Catacombs (1991) - Softdisk #114
A trilogy of sequels were made for Softdisk by Peter Rokitski for the remaining die-hard community of Apple II enthusiasts. Chronologically, these are actually the last Catacomb games to be released, following the conclusion of the Catacomb Adventure Series on PC. They also expanded beyond basic fantasy conventions similarly to their three dimensional counterparts.
- Sylvan Idyll (1992) - Softdisk #127
- Ether Quest (1993) - Softdisk #134
- Sand Trap (1994) - Softdisk #153
Ports were also made to the Apple IIGS, which played similarly to the base Apple II but arguably had the best presentation of any other version on any system. An aborted port of Catacomb Abyss to that platform was also worked on by Rebecca Heineman.
Several pieces of lore imply that Carmack's Dark Designs trilogy is also set in the same universe; a second trilogy of these was also later created by Rokitski for Softdisk.
Compilations[edit]
The original PC game was released as part of Big Blue Disk (1990; issue #50) and the Gamer's Edge Sampler (1991), while Catacomb 3D and the related Hovertank 3D were released as part of the id Anthology in 1996. Both the original 2D and first 3D version were included in the The Lost Game Collection of ID Software by Softdisk in the early 1990s. All of the PC compatible games were released digitally onto GOG.com on March 14, 2013 as the Catacombs Pack.
