Catacomb 3-D
2 ports
CatacombGL
ArnoAnsems/CatacombGL
CatacombGL: a source port of Catacomb 3-D: The Descent (id Software, 1991) and Softdisk’s Catacomb Adventure Series (The Catacomb Abyss, The Catacomb Armageddon, and The Catacomb Apocalypse, from 1992 and 1993), the four MS-DOS games whose source code Flatrock Software released under the GPLv2. The originals drew in 16 colors in a 320×200 view window; CatacombGL draws them with OpenGL, at widescreen resolutions, with an adjustable field of view and an uncapped frame rate, and moves the player, projectiles, and monsters with floating-point precision. It has configurable keyboard and mouse controls shared by all four games, an automap with four styles (one based on Catacomb 3-D’s debug automap), an option to slide along walls, the camera slightly behind the player as in DOS, and optional music in the Adventure Series, using the Bobby Prince track their data already contained but never played. Sound comes from ReflectionHLE’s, with OPL3 emulation. A selection screen lists the games and detects the Catacombs Pack if you installed it with GOG’s installer. The latest release is 0.5.7 beta (January 4, 2025), for 32- and 64-bit Windows and Linux; since then the code has moved to SDL3 and added controllers, macOS compatibility, and Catacomb 3-D version 1.00, and work is underway on reading DOS saved games. The repository includes, for each game and version, the compression dictionaries for its EGA graphics.
You needThe data files from your own copy: GOG’s Catacombs Pack, with all four games, or, in the code after 0.5.7, Catacomb 3-D version 1.00 from Romero Games’ 2024 physical Big Box releases. The Catacomb Abyss 1.13 is free shareware and is enough to play that game; the project says it differs from the commercial release only cosmetically. Plus Windows 7 to 11 or Linux; macOS, by building it.
ReflectionHLE
ReflectionHLE/ReflectionHLE
ReflectionHLE, known for years as Reflection Keen: a set of DOS game source ports inspired by Chocolate Doom, which mimic the behavior of each original version, bugs included, and are compatible with its saved games. They share a common codebase and cover Keen Dreams; Catacomb 3-D and The Catacomb Adventure Series (Abyss, Armageddon, and Apocalypse); Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny with its mission packs, and the DOS version of Super 3-D Noah’s Ark; and BioMenace. Except for BioMenace, which builds on the reconstructed source code published by K1n9_Duk3, they’re based on the released source code of Keen Dreams, Catacomb 3-D, the Catacomb Adventure Series, and Wolfenstein 3D, which also serves Spear of Destiny and Noah’s Ark. It has a launcher that finds installations such as GOG.com’s, two controller schemes, touch controls, and gyro turning, and since 2024 it supports Wolfenstein 3D and derived mods that change the game data, such as map packs. Version 0.66.0 (June 6) added BioMenace, moved to SDL3, and uses the VR helmet code in Wolfenstein 3D 1.4 and Spear of Destiny to turn with the mouse, a stick, or the gyro while strafing.
You needThe files from your own copy of each game, in one of its supported DOS versions; the launcher shows which versions are supported and which files each one needs. Free shareware releases work too, such as Wolfenstein 3D’s, Keen Dreams 1.13 and 1.20, or The Catacomb Abyss 1.13. Plus 32- or 64-bit Windows, x86-64 Linux, or macOS.
Installs with
Questions
What projects are there for Catacomb 3-D?
The catalog has 2 ports for Catacomb 3-D, all on this page with their status.
What do I need to play it?
Your own copy of Catacomb 3-D (DOS). Recompendium only links projects that don’t distribute the game, and each entry says which version or region you need.
Which one is the most popular?
CatacombGL, with 197 stars on GitHub.