A Look At Catacombs 3 For The Amiga CD32
I tested the game on both of my CD32 setups. While the Terrible Fire 030 with 64MB RAM is clearly the superior setup…
Some of you might remember our earlier article about Projekt: Lila, and the reason I’m bringing it up now is that it was actually the second release for IndieGO! system. If you’re wondering what that is, I recommend checking out the Projekt: Lila article for the full details.
For those curious, the IndieGO! “console” was compatible with the Amiga CD32, which meant that any games made for it could also run on our beloved Amiga systems.
Catacomb 3-D first arrived on PC back in 1991, receiving a few updates over the next couple of years before being renamed Catacombs 3: The Descent by the end of 1993. The game was developed by none other than ID Software’s John Carmack and John Romero, using the engine that would eventually evolve into Wolfenstein 3D.
Ironically, Catacomb 3-D is often cited as one of the reasons the Amiga became “redundant” for some, supposedly because it couldn’t handle 3D like this. But was that really true?
Most Amiga fans know by now that the platform actually had quite a few impressive 3D titles. Case in point: Catacombs 3 on my CD32 runs perfectly fine — in fact, it often outperforms many early ’90s PCs.
But here’s the real question: were Wolfenstein 3D and Catacomb 3-D actually any good?
Personally, I don’t think so. The games are poorly laid out, feature broken design choices, and are often tedious to play. That’s always been my opinion, and it probably always will be.
The reason many people loved these early 3D games back in the day was that they felt so fresh compared to everything else on the market. I get that — while I never really enjoyed most 3D games until Duke Nukem 3D and Quake arrived, it’s easy to see why magazines and the gaming press hyped the genre. The evolution of 3D technology was undeniably impressive, even if the quality of many early titles left a lot to be desired.
For me, Catacombs 3 is one of the reasons I never got into PC gaming. I’ve tried playing it for a few days now (and several more years back), but no matter how good this CD32 port is, I just get bored beyond belief. The game is repetitive, ugly, and I struggle to find anything positive to say about it. Well… there is one thing: the port itself is excellent. It runs smoothly, the CD32 controls work perfectly, and from what I can tell, it’s a 1:1 port with Amiga optimisations and some extras.
If this game had actually been released on the Amiga CD32 back in 1993, it might have made a real impact. But no — it only arrived in 2016, largely unnoticed. In fact, several major Amiga game sites, like Hall of Light, don’t even have a listing for it.
One of the highlights of the Amiga release has to be the box and overall design — it’s flashy, eye-catching, and I genuinely like it.
The print quality is excellent as well, with no corners cut on cheap paper or flimsy DVD packaging.
The CD itself is professionally pressed, which is a big plus — especially in an era when some publishers try to cut costs by using cheap CD-Rs.
The manual is also nicely produced, with high-quality paper and printing.
The manual is nicely laid out with some backstory and information about controls and specs.
I tested the game on both of my CD32 setups. While the Terrible Fire 030 with 64MB RAM is clearly the superior setup, I have to say the SX-1 020 with 8MB Fast RAM also runs the game quite well.
In many ways, this is a better game than Projekt: Lila, but being a 25+-year-old title certainly limits its “Buy Now” appeal. Old age is one thing, but the game itself is the real limiting factor. I’d say grab it if you enjoy this kind of game, but realistically, I doubt it will keep you hooked for the long term.
I’d recommend picking it up for one of two reasons: either to support the developer or to fill a gap in your Amiga collection.
Thanks to Lemon Amiga for the screenshots, while the box pictures are from my own collection (as always).
