| Catacomb 3-D | |
|---|---|
 Title screen | |
| Developer(s) | id Software |
| Publisher(s) | Softdisk |
| Director(s) | Tom Hall |
| Engine | Prototype of Wolfenstein 3D engine |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Catacomb 3-D (also known as Catacomb 3-D: A New Dimension, Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, and Catacombs 3) is a first-person shooter video game, the third in the Catacomb series, the first of which to feature 3D computer graphics. It was developed by id Software and originally published by Softdisk under the Gamer's Edge label, released in November 1991. The player takes control of the high wizard Petton Everhail, descending into the catacombs of the Towne Cemetery to defeat the evil lich Nemesis and rescue his friend Grelminar.[a]
Catacomb 3-D is a landmark title in terms of first-person graphics. It is the first example of the modern, character-based first-person shooter genre, or at least it was a direct ancestor to the games that popularized the genre. It was released for MS-DOS with EGA graphics. The game introduced the concept of showing the player's hand in the three-dimensional viewpoint, and an enhanced version of its technology was later used for the more successful Wolfenstein 3D. The game's more primitive technological predecessor was Hovertank 3D. The game was published at retail by GT Interactive as Catacomb 3 in 1993.[3] A special collector's edition box containing three variations of the game by Romero Games is scheduled to be released in 2024.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
GU-id-CK-Wolf3dwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Romero, John (28 August 2017). "The Legend of Grelminar and Nemesis". Rome.ro. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Romero, John (18 July 2023). "14: The Icon of Sin". Doom Guy: Life in First Person. Abrams Books. ISBN 9783755412793.
They also contacted Softdisk, got the rights to publish Catacomb 3D, and named it Catacomb 3.
- ^ Yarwood, Jack (3 July 2024). "The FPS That Paved The Way For Wolfenstein 3D & Doom Is Getting A New Big Box Release". Time Extension. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).