The Catacomb Abyss

Overview

The Catacomb Abyss (also known as The Catacomb Abyss 3-D) is a high-fantasy first-person shooter developed and published by Softdisk Publishing in 1992. It was originally released as shareware, with the registered version having minor updates and game hints. Earlier releases were released under Softdisk's Gamer's Edge label.

The first part of the Catacomb 3-D Adventures (a sequel trilogy to the 1991 game Catacomb 3-D), Catacomb Abyss continues the adventures of renowned wizard Petton Everhail after the defeat of the lich Nemesis. After Nemesis's minions have erected a masoleum to him, a dark cloud has overcast the land, and Petton is tasked with venturing into the mausoleum to seek out and vanquish the evil's source.

One of the first games in the Catacomb series without involvement of its original creator, Catacomb Abyss builds on the engine from Catacomb 3-D with an assortment of new enemies, new levels, and gameplay updates. It is the first "episode" of a three-part trilogy, before The Catacomb Armageddon and The Catacomb Apocalypse. Its source code was later released under the GNU GPLv2 license, and can be found here. The game was also included in the 2013 modern compilation Catacombs Pack by Catacomb Games.

Some of the team behind the game, as well as its sequels, eventually founded JAM Productions and utilized the Wolfenstein 3D engine to develop Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and Blake Stone: Planet Strike.

Gameplay

Much of the gameplay is similar to that from Catacomb 3-D, with some notable exceptions:

• The game now uses a linear set of 16 levels, with no hub level, secret level, or level skips.

• The game's fireball shots, now known as "Magick Missile", can no longer be charged-up. While the Bolt spell (now known as "Zapper") now fires a barrage of normal fireballs, the Nuke spell (now known as "Xterminator") still deals triple the damage per fireball.

• A new power-up pickup, known as the Crystal Hour Glass, stops time for everything but Petton, allowing him to move around and prime projectiles for 30 seconds. Loading or saving while this is in effect can glitch the game, causing an unwinnable state.

• Replacing the compass is an upgradable radar system (known as the Crystal Sphere), based on the one from Hovertank, to track nearby enemies. It can be upgraded by finding colored gems (red, blue, green, yellow, and purple) to track more types of enemies.

• The score system has been removed completely. Treasure chests now grant a random assortment of Zappers (up to 4), Xterminators (up to 3), and Potions (up to 2).

• Players can now quickly turn left and right by holding either the "V" or "Tab" keys.

• The control panel has been removed, with a very limited menu system and no customizable controls.

Enemies

All of the enemies from the previous game return along with some new ones, some of which have new mechanics to deal with (including some that appear after a random time has passed).

Unlike Catacomb 3-D, where difficulty affects the number of enemies spawned, Catacomb Abyss includes two difficulties (Novice and Warrior) that instead quadruples the player's damage output while halving the enemy's damage output.

Each enemy also has their own Gem affinity, which shows their location in the Crystal Sphere when that Gem is collected.

• Bats (1 HP, None) - Like in Catacomb 3-D, these weak creatures try to swarm around Petton, rather than chase in a straight line. These are the only enemies revealed to the Crystal Sphere from the start.

• Zombies (5 HP, Purple) - While they are easy to kill, they are fast, deal double the normal melee damage, and can materialize (rising from the ground) after a random time has passed.

• Spooks (5 HP, Yellow) - Weak wraiths that deal very low damage, half of the normal melee damage, but like zombies they can materialize after a random time has passed.

• Mages (5 HP, Red) - Like in Catacomb 3-D, mages do not deal melee damage, instead launching fireballs (with half the melee damage) at the player. They are also the fastest-moving enemy in the game.

• Orcs (6 HP, Green) - Like in Catacomb 3-D, orc warriors are slow and deal weak melee damage.

• Skeletons (12 HP, Yellow) - Reanimated skeleton warriors that are tough, dealing 150% of the normal melee damage. At times, players can encounter skeletal remains in the wall, only for a skeleton warrior to exit that wall.

• Trolls (14 HP, Green / Blue) - Like in Catacomb 3-D, trolls are tough and fast while being able to deal double the normal melee damage. In the stage The Ancient Aqueduct, players encounter unique blue-colored "Water Trolls" that are slightly tougher (18 HP) and can submerge in the water to make themselves less vulnerable. Normal trolls are revealed with the Green Gem, while Water Trolls are revealed with the Blue Gem.

• Eyes (14 HP, Red) - Slow, floating eye monsters who, instead of melee, launches a barrage of weak lightning balls at the player.

• Demons (50 HP, Blue / Red) - Like in Catacomb 3-D, these hulkish demons are very tough to kill (requiring lengthy barrages of fireballs), and deal quadruple the normal melee damage. Blue demons are revealed with the Blue Gem, while red demons are revealed with the Red Gem.

• Nemesis (100 HP) - Like in Catacomb 3-D, the Nemesis is the final boss and a unique, tougher version of the Mage. However, his fireballs are now much deadlier (six times the normal melee damage) and players are required to kill him to proceed (as he drops a red key). He is only revealed in the Crystal Sphere once all five Gems are collected.

Levels

Unlike the level structure in Catacomb 3-D, The Catacomb Abyss includes a single set of 16 levels played linearly, with no hub level, secret level, or level skipping. Rather than finding an exit portal, players instead find the exit door.

• The Towne Cemetery
• The Garden of Tears
• The Mausoleum Grounds
• The Main Floor of the Mausoleum
• The Crypt of Nemesis the Undead
• The Den of Zombies
• The Subterranean Vault
• The Ancient Aqueduct
• The Orc Mines
• The Lair of the Troll
• The Demon's Inferno
• The Battleground of the Titans
• The Coven of Mages
• The Inner Sanctum
• The Haunt of Nemesis
• The Passage to the Surface

The game also includes three hidden levels only accessible via the level warp cheat (Mike's Blastable Passage, Big Jim's Domain, and Nolan's Nasty).