First there was Catacomb and its sequel, The Catacomb (originally named Catacomb II), using the same 2D engine. Then there was Catacomb 3-D, which led to a sequel trilogy using the same engine, called the "Catacomb 3D Adventures", of which The Catacomb Abyss is the first game. The Catacomb Abyss stands out as one of the few EGA first-person shooters, and has many of the features that made it into the Wolfenstein 3D engine, including a picture of the hero reflecting his health, and the ability to save your progress. After defeating Nemesis in the previous game, his minions have erected a mausoleum for him and begun a new campaign of terror. As in the 2D Catacomb games, you must enter the catacombs, fight monsters, find potions to restore your health, and ammo to enhance your attacks. You continue to have an unlimited supply of Magick Missiles, which fire a single shot at a time. You can collect Zappers, which allow rapid fire Magic Missile attacks, and Xterminators, which shoot a pattern of Magic Missiles in a circular pattern around you, which is great for when you're surrounded by enemies. Now that the game is 3D, you can only see what's in front of you, so you get a radar screen called the Crystal Sphere. There are five Magick Gems to find, which adds to the enemies that you can see in the Crystal Sphere. There are four colored keys to open locked doors, and you can find scrolls which give advice and can be re-read at any time. Finally, there is a Crystal Hour Glass which can temporarily freeze time. It doesn't pay to fire indiscriminately, as power-ups can be destroyed. Unfortunately, the red border when you take damage, and the yellow border when you destroy a bonus item, aren't displayed in DOSBox due to technical limitations. There is no map screen, but each area's name appears on your status screen. There are "weakened walls" that can be destroyed, which look different in every level. There are 16 levels in this game.

Added by DOSGuy

Screenshots

EGA Mode 0Dh
320×200×16c

Downloads

The Catacomb Abyss Shareware v1.13 (836,888 bytes)	1992-11-20	DOS	Play online
The Catacomb Abyss Shareware v1.12 (471,651 bytes)	1992-11-13	DOS

Source code

Availability

Flat Rock Software still sells this game for $1.99, or as part of Catacomb 3D - The Series for $3.99, or as part of The Complete Catacomb Series for $5.99, by download.

It can be downloaded in a Windows-compatible format from GOG for $5.99.