Rise of the Triad: Dark War
Rise of the Triad: Dark War
Game
Game2023
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition
Developer Nightdive Studios, Apogee Software, New Blood Interactive
The HUNT Returns... AGAIN! Play the original Cult Classic '90s FPS remastered in 4K Ultrawide with UNLIMITED frame rates, RESTORED content, NEW episodes, a LEVEL EDITOR, online MULTIPLAYER, LUDICROUS gameplay options and MORE. Make 'em EAT LEAD or they'll bury you in a lunchbox! From the Steam store page
297 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 24, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
87
LovedLoved
160 positive · 24 negative
95% range 81–91%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 160 | 24 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 25 | 7 | 64 |
| 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
595 of 640 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
87% recommend · 159 yes, 24 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 183 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (694 of 754 positive).
Many find the original game's level design confusing and repetitive. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game's quirky personality and unique features. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
This is a great remaster of a painfully mediocre and dated game with some of if not the worst weapon balancing and level design I've experienced in a Boomer-Shooter. Usually I would happily recommend a game ported by Nightdive to anyone, but I had such a bad time trying to navigate the endless mazes in RoTT. Getting lost over and over in the samey looking corridors trying to find the same 2-3 keys in every level …
- [7]
For this release and edition, this may be about as perfect of a remaster as you can get. Bundle in all the extra episodes, include a level editor, add back in cut content from the game's original development, make a whole new episode: they did everything a fan could possibly want. They even added options for new sfx, hud options, and the option to use the soundtrack from the 2013 remake. Genuinely they ticked every …
- [13]
Rise of the Triad is a great (if a bit janky) classic FPS, and this remaster is a great way to experience it. While Rise of the Triad has not aged as well as games like Doom or Quake, it does enough to separate itself from all the other FPS games that came out in the 90's (especially the game its engine was adopted from, Wolfenstein 3D). For most classic FPS fans, this game is worth a shot. PROS: - The level design …
- [4]
"Heretic and Hexen DID take place centuries before ROTT... when the Order of the Triad began..." - John Romero Yep, same universe! And don't get me started on the plot where Hitler's fall didn't stop the corporations that used him as a puppet to politely suggest a new kind of Armageddon. ROTT belongs in the DDD category, which stands for Demented, Deranged, Delirious. It's a Tom Hall project with Romero's …
- [5]
Gameplay: If I can explain this game in a nutshell, it’s if Wolfenstein 3D was high on sugar. While it is a similar game to Wolfenstien and DOOM and the like since it’s all about exploring levels to find keys and get to the exit. But with the addition of infinite ammo and half a dozen different explosive weapons and insane powerups and a few powerdowns, gives this a more high speed, arcade feel to the gameplay. …
Summarised from 34 of the 282 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 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition sits at 87% positive across 184 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 297 · most liked firstAnd 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 →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 →Rise of the Triad is a Christmas game.
neutral · AI labelView post →"Heretic and Hexen DID take place centuries before ROTT... when the Order of the Triad began..." - John Romero Yep, same universe! And don't get me started on the plot where Hitler's fall didn't stop the corporations that used him as a puppet to politely suggest a new kind of Armageddon. ROTT belongs in the DDD category, which stands for Demented, Deranged, Delirious. It's a Tom Hall project with Romero's influences, compared to it Doom is a completely conventional Satanic prance. For the sake…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is the best way to experience this game. That being said I really don't think you should buy this game unless you are a fan of 90's shooters. There is a reason why this game almost never gets mentioned in the same sentence with the classics like Blood, Duke 3D, Quake, Doom, Shadow Warrior, Hexen etc. This game was and is mostly bad. It has some good ideas but they feel unrealized, In this review I will try to break down why this game is a black sheep of 90's…
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 →This is a great remaster of a painfully mediocre and dated game with some of if not the worst weapon balancing and level design I've experienced in a Boomer-Shooter. Usually I would happily recommend a game ported by Nightdive to anyone, but I had such a bad time trying to navigate the endless mazes in RoTT. Getting lost over and over in the samey looking corridors trying to find the same 2-3 keys in every level that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I never expected to play a game with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →Rise of the Triad, Duke Nukem, or Blake Stone — which game had the best arsenal?
neutral · AI labelView 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 →In all honesty, I think this game is just kinda boring and confusing. You shoot boring enemies that all act the same using 1 gun and a few rocket launchers sometimes in dull corridors. I can see why this couldn't compete with Doom, that game actually has good levels, interesting enemies, and a big fun arsenal of guns. All ROTT offers is just being quirky.
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 →I wish I had the chance to play this as a kid. Still, I was doing fine with Doom, Heretic, Duke 3D, and Wolfenstein 3D. Eventually moved onto Unreal. Still, none of those games make the same impression that ROTT does. I waited to play this game until we got either a proper and efficiently optimized source port, or a full on remaster that gave it the polish and support it deserved. As an infamous imprisoned youtube once said, this game almost did not deserve to get as good a remaster as it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For this release and edition, this may be about as perfect of a remaster as you can get. Bundle in all the extra episodes, include a level editor, add back in cut content from the game's original development, make a whole new episode: they did everything a fan could possibly want. They even added options for new sfx, hud options, and the option to use the soundtrack from the 2013 remake. Genuinely they ticked every box on how to do an awesome remaster. As for the game itself, its a very "you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has the worst level design you will ever see but that's nothing I didn't already know. I got this purely for nostalgia and to see how they did with this remaster and it's good. I have some good memories of playing this with a friend over our modems back in high school in the late 90's. His mom was a fat idiot so she wouldn't let him play this with me anymore when she found out it was so violent. Wherever you are Kevin, if you ever read this, seriously F your dumb fat mom lol. God she was a…
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..
positive · AI labelView post →This was my first time with the OG. I wanted to be a tourist but I felt like I owed the Gods to max the death screen. I started Medium and each episode I increased the difficulty. I hate hit scanners, no cheese, and the maps made want to scream. Traps didn't bother me nearly as much as 2013. Either way, I was always running out of HP. Search for keys, shoot them on their knees. Time for selfie. What an awful right of passage. Sponges and key mazes are laaame. I only did it so I don't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can see this being an absolutely awesome rerelease for someone who played these games way back in the day, but as a newcomer this game is, sadly, incredibly confusing and boring. Can't blame the game entirely, as it's based on very primitive tech, but still. I really wanted to enjoy this game, but no matter what I just couldn't find a way to. At least it's better than the 2013 remake.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My absolute FAVORITE shooter growing up. DOOM and its ports are close second. It's just RIDICULOUS! Serious Sam is more serious compared to this! Enough hype... Uses a HEAVILY modified Wolfenstein 3D engine and ran in the same DOS4GW mode as DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D did - as I said: heavily modified. Had that cool factor for the time, and looked great on my old Sony Trinitron monitor. Won't wow you today, but is definitely an experience. The camp humor alone is worth the play! Now,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This review is positive only because I'm evaluating the remaster itself. It's a very good remaster of a very mediocre game. Mediocre at best: Low weapon variety. 3 infinite ammo weapons, out of which you will logically use only the strongest one. Several different types of rocket launchers, which are fun, but only one can be carried at a time and all have very limited ammo pools. Low enemy variety. Nearly all of them are hitscanners who look similar to each other: dudes in military uniforms.…
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 →Per usual, Nightdive has done a good job here. On the flipside I have no nostalgia for this game and got it in a bundle. I see this game brought up for boomer shooters every now and then and people seem to generally like it. I feel like that is notalgia based because what I played felt like a goofy amalgamation of different ideas and really bizarre maps to run through. Shooting enemies and movement also felt really dull. I'm glad Nightdive does what it does for the people that crave it, but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →As a femboy, this remaster is peak. Also, can't wait for Hell! ^w^
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this really rises my triad
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rise of the Triad is a great (if a bit janky) classic FPS, and this remaster is a great way to experience it. While Rise of the Triad has not aged as well as games like Doom or Quake, it does enough to separate itself from all the other FPS games that came out in the 90's (especially the game its engine was adopted from, Wolfenstein 3D). For most classic FPS fans, this game is worth a shot. PROS: - The level design does a (mostly) good job keeping the game fresh - Solid amount of content,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not even Nightdive's talent can turn Rise of the Triad into a good game. The biggest problem is the level design, it is simply garbage and completely idiotic. Everything else is actually fine, it’s only the extremely poor levels that ruins the experience. I would actually recommend the remake over the original. Yes, the remake is a lazy cash grab, but unfortunately, it is still the better game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good remaster of a bad game. Controls are terrible and floaty, level design is horrible, generally unfun. Its a product of its time that needs far more than a remaster to make it enjoyable. As someone totally new to it with no nostalgia, it's completely unfun to play. Other boomer shooters like Doom, Blood and Power Slave Exhumed are incredible games and can be enjoyed by totally new audiences like myself. Rise of the Triad however is not even close to being in the same league as those…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is the best way to experience Rise of the Triad... if you really want to. The original version, Rise of the Triad: Dark War, is just that... the original version of the game. It has less content, less features, and untouched graphics. It's nearly three decades old and it shows. And the 2013 remake which I previously [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/Xafron/recommended/217140/]reviewed is just not good in my opinion. ROTT: Ludicrous Edition is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I fondly recall the good old days spent playing Rise of the Triad on my 486 DX2 66 MHz PC, thoroughly enjoying every moment. This newly remastered version is exceptional and successfully evokes the thrilling action I remember from the original game. While some levels may be a bit confusing for newcomers, the exhilarating action and enjoyment will carry you through your playthrough. Get it if you like old-school FPS games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rating 6/10 Intro It's easy to see why this game was vastly overshadowed by Doom. While it does have some unique elements to it, it felt the need to shoot itself in the foot several times for no reason. Whether it's the invincible metal tin cans, the bullet sponge heavy gunners that can throw grenades with no warning or not clearly sign posting where you're supposed to go. I think this is really only worth playing if you have nostalgia for it or you want a more enjoyable version of what's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While this is a great treatment for this game by Nightdive, the game sucks and the price is too damn high. Boring, maze-like, and overall irritating gameplay plague this version just like the original. The multiplayer is screwed with awful netcode that still hasn't been updated to be actually playable. I get that this is a cult classic cherished by many, but I really cannot recommend this game unless you have some nostalgia for it. Just listen to the soundtrack, it's really the only thing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the worst classic 1990s first-person shooters ever made. Nonsense maps of unfun complexity. Terrible art direction. Boring enemies. Avoid.
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 →As a newcomer to a game Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition feels less like a polished classic and more like a frustrating lesson in dated game design. The movement is disorientingly floaty, making the frequent "precision" platforming feel like a chore rather than a challenge, while the level layouts are a confusing maze of identical textures and nonsensical switches. Without the shield of nostalgia, the chaotic combat and "Ludicrous" gibs can’t hide the fact that the core gameplay feels…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I heard about it as a kid, randomly found a youtuber named Civvie-11 about three years ago, waited for him to play it when this was annouced. It just screams 90s fps. It's a great game, Tho it's a bit tedious at times, the layout can be confusing as wolf 3D(built on the same engine but wolf 3D didnt have a map). It's still fun to play.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is lame, way better old school shooters out there
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If Doom and Duke Nukem 3D are boomer shooters, then Rise of the Triad is a silent gen shooter. This game actually started life as a sequel to Wolfenstein 3D (and runs on a highly modified version of its engine), and the signs are all over the place - big, abstract, and labyrinthian levels that bear no resemblance to real-world locations, a low number of weapon slots (although the third slot has a variety of options available), pushwalls galore, and a selection of enemies that are supposed to be…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →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 →Night Dive once again did a brilliant job in the re-release, but the base game is just not fun I had this game back in the 90's and it wasn't fun then. I have no idea what I was thinking giving it another go.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →E-E-E-E-EAT LEAD! Here, catch! A-A-A-A-AAH A-AAH A-A-A-A-A-A-AAH OOOOUGH...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wolfenstein as directed by Tex Avery.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i can become a dog and brutaly tear apart my enemies also i remember when i was making a map i made it crash 4 times 10/10 my friend said its "ITS GOOD AND EDUCANIAL"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay: If I can explain this game in a nutshell, it’s if Wolfenstein 3D was high on sugar. While it is a similar game to Wolfenstien and DOOM and the like since it’s all about exploring levels to find keys and get to the exit. But with the addition of infinite ammo and half a dozen different explosive weapons and insane powerups and a few powerdowns, gives this a more high speed, arcade feel to the gameplay. Sure, as soon as you get a machine gun you can keep holding the fire button non…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game's kinda wacky and kinda stupid. I like games that are wacky and stupid. I also think that it makes impressive use of a modified Wolf3D engine. 20 bucks is a bit steep, but it's a good ass remaster of a flawed but fun game. Wolf3D isn't really worth playing today beyond experiencing a piece of history. This game is actually worth playing as more than just a piece of history.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NightDive Studios is boycotting a company for supporting Trump, hell yeah dude
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not Wolfenstein on steroids, this is Wolfenstein on everything.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For me pure nostalgia. It is however also an entertaining game. The graphics are of its time and fine in that way. I like the small puzzles if you can call them that. Also neat pieces of game-play eg. the soldiers playing dead and how you can wound them into submission.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
