Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition
Game
Game2014
Rise of the Triad: Dark War
Developer Apogee Software
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game, developed and published by Apogee Software in 1995. The player controls one of five members of a United Nations backed special forces unit, who have been sent to investigate a deadly cult operating on San Nicholas Island which seeks to destroy the nearby Los Angeles. The shareware version of the game, released in 1994, is titled Rise of the Triad: The… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
205 reactions from 4 sources (Bluesky, Steam reviews, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 18, 2026 · last updated Oct 18, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
84
LovedLoved
76 positive · 15 negative
95% range 75–90%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 29 | 8 | 60 |
| Steam reviews | 76 | 15 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 8 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
83 of 98 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
84% recommend · 77 yes, 15 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 92 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (120 of 142 positive).
Players praise the game as a classic fast-paced FPS with unique power-ups and a great soundtrack. [1][2][3] Some note the Steam version runs well via DOSBox but has dated graphics and control issues. [1][4][5] A few reviewers find the game unplayable due to control problems or high price. [6][5][7]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
Rise of the Triad was arguably the most famous FPS in the early 1990's behind Wolfenstein 3D, DooM and Duke Nukem. With a vaguely chinese-gangster theme, the game plays around the same way as Wolf3D but with an emulated 3D effect. The game has aged badly and the controls aren't great. Apogee/3DRealms have for some reason decided to price gouge the game with an insane $10 price tag for a game published in the early …
- [1]
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a classic FPS that was released in 1995. It's a Wolf3D-like engine game. A very heavily modified one though. Choose one of the fie characters and kill everything while running real fast. Now, how was Steam version handled? Pretty nice. It runs on a good DosBox software, all configured properly and with working Steam overlay. You can configure game to use standard WASD and mouse too. …
- [2]
You can turn into a dog and bark at people until they explode, so that's a solid ten for realism from me.
- [11]
wanted to leave a good review solely because this game is the only dos game on steam i've ever played that was actually configured right straight out of the box and didn't have any weird bugs, good on ya, game's great but let's be honest if you're on this steam page you already know that
- [3]
I love Rise of the Triad, I didnt really play it in my middle schools days like Doom or Quake, but its great! Rise of the triad can be boring at times I wont lie with the level design limitations and the main two weapons liek the Mp40 and pistols. But the powerups, the enemies and the music its really good. It has alot of charm in it that it makes me smile when I play it for Christmas. Very good when you just want …
Summarised from 34 of the 207 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
84% of the 92 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Rise of the Triad: Dark War. The complaint that keeps coming up: dated graphics and pixelation due to DOSBox emulation. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Scott Miller estimated that the game eventually sold around 110,000 copies. A reviewer for Next Generation assessed that Rise of the Triad is an entertaining but ultimately undistinguished Doom replica which fails to rank with the best of the genre. Remarking that the game "has its own style but never strays far enough from the Doom herd to fully break free", he gave it three out of five stars. A reviewer for Polish magazine Świat Gier Komputerowych described the game as a prominent example of the continuing popularity of Doom-style first-person shooters. The reviewer sees it as one of the closest successors to Doom, featuring fast-paced shooting across 32 single-player levels with a simple…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 205 · most liked firstRise of the Triad: Dark War is a classic FPS that was released in 1995. It's a Wolf3D-like engine game. A very heavily modified one though. Choose one of the fie characters and kill everything while running real fast. Now, how was Steam version handled? Pretty nice. It runs on a good DosBox software, all configured properly and with working Steam overlay. You can configure game to use standard WASD and mouse too. When you launch the game, you will get to choose one of the three games. Dark War…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And a lot of Tom Hall's Doom Bible ended up becoming a whole other game...Rise of the Triad.
neutral · AI labelView post →In Beyond Sunset, XANADU™️ is a centralized virtual reality computer network. Gameplay-wise, it's just a vaporwave Wolf3D/Rise of the Triad minigame. We're trying to rebuild our audience, consider following and reposting if you want to see more Sunset content.
neutral · AI labelView post →I want a Sinners game jam. Give me a Rise of the Triad-style shoot 'em up, a Rise of the Dragon-style visual adventure, a rhythm game, a couple platformers, a Carmen Sandiego game about jazz history, and some kind of Obra Dinn thing where you try to figure out what happened to a vampirized town.
neutral · AI labelView post →Originally a My Little Pony x Rise Of The Triad game. Now de-ponied... but still pretty RoTT style. Game's cool and silly.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game also started out as a My Little Pony meets Rise Of The Triad project. It is post-cringe media and that's rad.
neutral · AI labelView post →Rise of the Triad has a really lovingly done remaster and its just never been a very good game. It might actually have a legacy if it came out 3 months before DOOM.
negative · AI labelView post →An often overlooked and under-rated DOS game. The remake tries, but it still can't match Dark Wars bizarre level and game design. It's over the top and innovative for its time. There are 2 ways to get this on steam. The other being the Apogee Throwback Pack which also includes Blake Stone
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the near future retirement homes may still have knitting activities, but they'll also have LAN parties with Warcraft 2, Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Age of Empires, Quake tournaments. All of this along with classic 80s arcade games. We'll be eating in the dining hall listening to the demo sounds of Dig Dug or Ms Pacman playing softly in the background.
neutral · AI labelView post →Y'know what game is awesome Rise of the Triad
positive · AI labelView post →EAT LEAD HERE CATCH EAT EAT LEAD HERE CATCH THEY'LL BURY YOU IN A LUNCHBOX
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rise of the Triad is a Christmas game.
neutral · AI labelView post →The inspiration behind Val'ty game: Jump Pads > Rise of The Triad Teleportation sphere > Turok 3 Secret keys (not in demo) > Turok 2 Sniper Mode > MDK Level Design > Turok and Chasm the Rift Sidekick > Daikatana Machine Gun > MDK and Kiss Psycho Circus Main Menu > Playstation demo discs
neutral · AI labelView post →After genuinely laughing at this, I anecdottaly remember my father asking, "If your home sick, why are you playing vidya games?"...it was 'Rise of the Triad" at the time...
neutral · AI labelView post →After 20 years, this game is still good to play. The bad thing is, it works with Dosbox, no high resolution and so highly pixelated at far distance.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →30 years ago (21 Dec 1994) I uploaded the original shareware episode of Rise of the Triad to the Software Creations BBS and the HUNT began! That game remains one of the fondest of my time at Apogee - so much fun to make and put out. Loved the 2013 remake & the 2023 re-release. RIP William Scarboro!
positive · AI labelView post →After a stressful Next Fest, I've decided to take a one-week break from working on Enigma Heart, and cobble together a prototype of my next game, Acronia. Based on an old DOS prototype/demo of mine, it's a side-scrolling run 'n' gun inspired by Contra, Bio Menace, Rise of the Triad, Commander Keen.
neutral · AI labelView post →Happy 31st Anniversary, Rise of the Triad! The full version was released on Feb 17th, 1995! Bowwwwoooooooooooooo! OOOOOOOOOH! 🐶 👋 🌀 #RiseOfTheTriad #fps #games
neutral · AI labelView post →“I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash! It's a gas! Gas! Gas!” ~The Rolling Stones There's a very interesting story behind Rise of the Triad. One of those with a very important moral. The moral is – we should all listen to each other. Only then good things will become possible. One heck of a way to start the FPS review, huh? But the thing is – to understand this game we should go back to the times when Tom Hall was still a part of id Software. Because that's what this story is all about – id Software. See,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You can turn into a dog and bark at people until they explode, so that's a solid ten for realism from me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a lifelong gamer, I'd like to share my fond memories and positive review of 'Rise of the Triad: Dark War'. When I was younger, I had the pleasure of playing this game on my old computer, and it provided hours of exhilaration and entertainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCMqgG15iog 'Rise of the Triad: Dark War' is an action-packed first-person shooter that offers a thrilling and fast-paced experience. With its retro-style graphics and engaging gameplay, this game truly captures the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rise of the Triad, Duke Nukem, or Blake Stone — which game had the best arsenal?
neutral · AI labelView post →Important message I have only played the hunt begins and Dark War. I will update my review when I have finished extreme rise of the triad (might take awhile). What I liked about the game Has one of the best power ups in any game; one which allows you to become a dog which allows you to bite people to death. Lots of different traps, makes the game quite challenging. The levels don't feel too much like a maze. The levels are big and open, and they take place inside and outside.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My dad always played Doom and Heretic by MOVING with the mouse and aiming with the arrows on the keyboard. It was so weird watching him play. And despite him playing Wolfenstein and Doom and Heretic and Rise of the Triad, he quit once we got Quake. I still played Quake using nothing but the keyboard, like I did the other games mentioned. I didn't start using the modern wasd and mouse setup until Tribes 2, since it was fairly close to the defaults (IIRC, it used asdf instead of wasd but I…
neutral · AI labelView post →Just off the top of my head, Quake II Pathologic Silent Hill 1 System Shock 2 Half Life 2 Mechanicus Darktide Rise of the Triad a banging OST is a surefire way to get me to at least try your game
neutral · AI labelView post →Rise of the Triad was arguably the most famous FPS in the early 1990's behind Wolfenstein 3D, DooM and Duke Nukem. With a vaguely chinese-gangster theme, the game plays around the same way as Wolf3D but with an emulated 3D effect. The game has aged badly and the controls aren't great. Apogee/3DRealms have for some reason decided to price gouge the game with an insane $10 price tag for a game published in the early 1990s. That kind of greed makes this impossible to recommend even if they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not that the game really deserves it, but I designed a more comfortable controller layout for the 2013 Rise of the Triad. If you want to try it out, let me know how it is.
negative · AI labelView post →(tl;dr 2nd to last paragraaph.) Ah, 1994: Games released the previous year (such as Doom and Blake Stone) had proven that the FPS genre could be lucrative. The result was the golden age of FPS, with several solid (and successful) releases as Heretic, Corridor 7, System Shock, Spear of Destiny, Alien Vs Predator, Doom II. There were also about 25 other games released, most of which were less than great. The problem was that many of these games licensed outdated technology; in simply a single…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Eat lead! Here, catch! You're toast! Eat lead! Here, here, catch! Eat lead! They'll bury you in a lunchbox! Here, catch! Here, here catch! Eat lead! Eat eat eat eat! Eat lead! Here, here, catch! Eat lead! Eat, eat, eat, eat! Eat lead! Here, here, catch! Eat lead! Eat, eat, eat, eat toast! Eat lead! Here, here, catch!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This classic was made with a modified version of the Wolf3D engine. Comparing the difference between them i'd say it's quite impressive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I didn't play the original, but I can see that it's worth a purchase for those who did enjoy it. For me, the presentation, controls, and gameplay is a turn-off. But, I guess, those who still enjoy an occasional round of DOOM on the go, Rise of the Triad is a nice alternative that may well be worth a look (also available for the phone). https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2901605078
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Acts just like doom, wolfenstein, and duke nukem. One amazing game. 20 years of old age and the game still kicks butt!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fuck Harry Potter go play like. ANY New Blood game. even Rise of the Triad Ludicrous Edition. that is like the most insane rerelease of one of these classic fpses i have heard of, it literally. they got picture scans from 1994 and before to restore alternate enemies..
neutral · AI labelView post →wanted to leave a good review solely because this game is the only dos game on steam i've ever played that was actually configured right straight out of the box and didn't have any weird bugs, good on ya, game's great but let's be honest if you're on this steam page you already know that
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very happy birthday to @thattomhall.bsky.social Known for working on Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, and voicing Walton Simons in Deus Ex. And a little game called Anachronox. Much love from a Norwegian retro rat!
neutral · AI labelView post →Every time I remember Rise of the Triad I get a headache Doom came out a year and two months before this game. All walls are at 90 degree angles. Levels are 100% flat. This is compensated for by thousands of floating platforms - your only means of gaining altitude - which are fucking everywhere
negative · AI labelView post →It was a good game in the 90s, but now when you play it your eyes bleed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →11/10 soundtrack that comes with a game, thanks Lee Jackson
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't know what they were thinking re-releasing this game with these controls, the game is unplayable, I can't move forward and look left at the same or the camera just points right to the ground and stays there. The only way to make the game playable I hear is to mod the game code, which I have no clue how to do, theres no step by step guide for people like me, just computer nerd talk. Which if you need to mod a game just to make it playable is just a$s, I want my money back.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can’t stress enough how much I love this game. I vaguely remembered Rise of the Triad from my childhood, but I had never played the game. Now fast-forward almost 20 years and I’m glad I finally gave it a try. Rise of the Triad is a bizarre and ludicrous game, and that’s exactly why I love it. There is a vast selection of rocket launchers, power-ups and power-downs which helps the combat feel fresh and exciting. The same thing goes for the many enemy types, among those are soldiers who fake…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game when I was a kid. Unfortunately this reboot is riddled with control issues. The character turns randomly within the first few seconds of gameplay and doesn't stop. I've tried reinstalling and even using a gamepad but nothing fixes it. Basically this is a broken game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out our discussion of Rise of the Triad: Dark War! Also on this episode, my fellow #HG101 hosts discuss a Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game! #podcast hardcoregaming101.libsyn.com/rise-of-the-...
neutral · AI labelView post →Like many pre-Quake games with peer-to-peer netcode, Rise of the Triad won't start a multiplayer game until all of the players have connected. Unlike many pre-Quake games with peer-to-peer netcode, Rise of the Triad gets very impatient if someone takes their time to connect, and starts riffing.
neutral · AI labelView post →Wizordum's official announcement trailer is here! We're excited to announce that we've partnered with legendary publisher Apogee Entertainment (Duke Nukem, Rise of the Triad, Turbo Overkill) to make the best game possible. 🧙♂️Entering Early Acces on November 15th🧙♂️ 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeTO...
neutral · AI labelView post →despite the game running on a modified Wolfenstien 3D engine, it's surprisingly really fun and somehow i don't get lost in the levels much (yet), not to mention that the music is great, thank you civvie 11 now if you wanna play this game, at the time of this review the game is on sale and it costs 69 cents so i think it's worth it. but don't play the regular steam version because it's just dos box and it's quite pixely, instead use a source port! i recommend Rottexpr. and in case you're a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Showing my age here, but probably would have to say my origin game that inspired my love of computer games was the OG, Pong. Then at the arcade, Space Invaders and Galaga. And then on PC, with FPS probably Rise of the Triad followed shortly after by Quake (which is the one I'd consider 'my' game).
neutral · AI labelView post →Mediocre at best old school fps. If you still wanna play it, better play the remaster by Nightdive.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was late night on December 2022, I went back home to visit my family and booted this game up to experience the 90's. When my save loaded, I expected "Oww!!!" to start playing, instead it was replaced by "Deadly Gentleman". Then it hit me, it was Christmas, and that was an experience that can't be replaced.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love Rise of the Triad, I didnt really play it in my middle schools days like Doom or Quake, but its great! Rise of the triad can be boring at times I wont lie with the level design limitations and the main two weapons liek the Mp40 and pistols. But the powerups, the enemies and the music its really good. It has alot of charm in it that it makes me smile when I play it for Christmas. Very good when you just want to have good fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm used to it, some day I'll beat it again
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is hecking bonkers even today~ Don't let the 90-degree walls engine fool you, this is a fast paced game and a very fun fps with some things not even DOOM could do at its time This game its just glorious and a must-have if you are a fan of "boomer shooters" like me
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Better story then halo 5
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another masterpiece along with doom, wolfenstein 3d and duke nukem 3d
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gibs Gibs Gibs Lovely Beautiful Gibs
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an absolute classic. If you ever enjoyed Doom classic, duke nukem, blood, or any other 1990's shooter, this will make perfect sense. essentially... this game was supposed to be a sequel to wolfenstein 3d. it feels like that too, if BJ blazkowitz was given a plethora of strange weapons and set into an alternate timeframe. this game is fun, even on dosbox that it comes with, although there are emulators for even better performance.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →_Prince of Persia_ is a great example! Did _Lemmings_ ever get a reboot? 😄 I kind of want to see what modern game developers can do with old C64 games like _Parallax_ or _Head Over Heels_, or Amiga ones like _Cannon Fodder_ or _Sensible Soccer_, but time has taught me 2 things: 1. Be very careful what you wish for. You may get it in the worst way possible. 2. Nostalgia is sometimes best left in the past. I do like that GOG, etc, do their game preservation thing. Seeing games like _Hexen_,…
neutral · AI labelView post →Sure. It can be true for both games :) Although, I did play and learn about Rise of the Triad, which is what Tom's vision for the Wolfenstein 3d sequel turned into, and it was still a run and gun shooter. EDIT : I suggested quake because you said you were unsure :)
neutral · AI labelView post →Eh, Wolf3D (not to be confused with the OG top down stealth games that NOBODY played... and where the original levels fundamentally don't exist anymore for fascinating reasons) was fast paced, for the time. Yeah, it was very much slow room clearing early on. But from probably episode 3 on, you were generally run and gunning just because of resource limits and enemy health pools. Not to mention encounter design and more "hidden rooms" that open up when a fight kicks off. And DOOM 2 was…
neutral · AI labelView post →... there's also the issue of me not paying a ton of attention to source ports. As one of the OG people I was far more focused on the original game. Having said that I've fallen in love with the Ludicrous Edition of Rise of the Triad. I adore what they've done with that one.
positive · AI labelView post →Dive into gaming history with the leaked prototypes of Rise of the Triad! Originally planned as an expansion for Wolfenstein 3D, the game evolved into a standalone first-person shooter with unique gameplay mechanics. Uncover the early days of this iconic title and witness its transformation from a mere add-on to a groundbreaking game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVuAsP3o48o #GamingHistory #RiseOfTheTriad #FirstPersonShooter #RetroGaming #Gameplay #DOSGames
neutral · AI labelView post →
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