Pinside rating

This game has received 44 approved Pinsider ratings. 6 more approved ratings are needed to get a rating and for it to be eligible for the Pinside Pinball Top 100 ranking.

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8.827

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Found 23 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 23 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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8.064/10

3 years ago

BTF

PinballManiac40

Pinside+ Frequent

14y 234K 17,615 104

Definitely a challenging game.

8.690/10

3 years ago

HKY

The quintessential thinking man's pinball machine.

In fact it's the only game where you can out think your opponent to a higher score, if you understand the rules & how to manipulate the game to your advantage.

It blew my mind the first time I played it & continues every time I hit the start button. A rare gem of the Classic SS games of the early 80's.

Wish I owned it.

HoakyPoaky edited previous rating on May 28, 2022.

8.794/10

3 years ago

REW

woody76

Pinball Marketing

Nashville, TN

9y 142K 6,843 6 98

Amazing art package, game plays insanely fast and has some amazing code for this era. Bagatelle is a cool gimmicky feature. Not many of these around and glad I get to add one to the collection.

woody76 has owned this game in the past.

3.941/10

4 years ago

XQZ

douggalecawitz

Pinside member

Naperville, IL

11y 62,900 45 85

Um, a generally decent game, but I can't for the life of me figure out what the deal is with the bagatelle thing in the back glass. Played the game numerous time, no idea. Not how to unlock it. Not what significance it play in the total scoring. Nothing. Pretty decent game to look at (the only split peas soup colored cabinet that i know of) or play, but utterly confounding.

6 Pinsiders flagged this.

6.196/10

4 years ago

???

Zoomtop

Inactive member

Liverpool

4y 8,250 2 20

Old school game with Some nice drop target and spinner shots

8.851/10

5 years ago

SS

Shapeshifter

Pinside member

13y 150K 10,466 8 144

Took me a while to understand this game!

Now that I do, it is an excellent, brutal player's game.

Fastest 80's game I have yet played, partly due to pop bumper configuration.

The basic ruleset is to complete the grid as that is where the bonuses get huge.

Also complete, the bonus multipliers by collecting 4 colors.

The bagatelle seems to gather many opposite views. Basically there is a lot more skill than I initially thought as you have to use flippers to choose colors and then try and get ball in A,B, C or D.

Then, at last second, use flipper button to change again, if you have cat like reflexes.

If you have a poor first ball, the first bagatelle can be fairly long, but subsequent are usually pretty quick.

The secret to big scores are completing the grid and getting extra balls. Very hard to do so when a big score comes a long, it feels great.

Best 80's game I have so far had the pleasure of playing. I suspect Quicksilver would come close but not played that yet.

I prefer this to TNA and it's much cheaper!

Shapeshifter edited previous rating on March 07, 2021.
Shapeshifter has owned this game in the past.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.184/10

5 years ago

PAV

PavBall

Pinside member

Lake Charles, LA

9y 75,300 460 79

Nice classic Stern game. Cool rules that are easier to understand than to explain, someone told me this and it is so true. Lots of good shots and having great timing is important. The lock stealing from not just player to player but from game to game is something I’ve never seen before. No direct shot to lock a ball means all ball locks are accidental and some people won’t like this.

The artwork is great but the sounds are more space age than middle age. I wish the sounds were more customized to this game.

PavBall edited previous rating on June 06, 2018.

8.192/10

6 years ago

SJ

Spagano314

Pinside member

St. Louis, MO

9y 61,300 304 7 16

Catacomb is a game that, without a proper tutorial, seems confusing and difficult. Even knowing what to do is only half the battle. You have to think quickly. Strategy and knowlege of the rules is the only way to score big. It's an excellent multiplayer game due to the ability to steal ball locks. The bagatelle is not for everyone, but I really enjoy it. definitly in my top 3 of classic Stern machines.

Spagano314 has owned this game in the past.

6.918/10

6 years ago

MOF

mof

Mof Pinball

San Francisco, CA

11y 149K 13,299 25 94

It has a bagatelle.
Worst stop-n-go ever in a pinball machine?
If you can make a custom ROM that ignores the bagatelle, please let us know !!!

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

8.405/10

6 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

11y 112K 2,528 169 4

This is a great game from vintage Stern. As someone who has owned several vintage Sterns, this may be their best effort IMO.

The Good:
-shots galore
-drop targets galore
-the spinner shot rocks!
-speech!!
-sure the backglass shot is kinda bizarre, but I love how it integrates to the scoring on the playfield. I'm in the minority here in saying this but, I love it!
-INCREDIBLE ARTWORK! A masterpiece to look at

The Bad:
-the rules are NOT simple to understand. One of those "explain what I'm shooting for" games for sure
-I'm not sure exactly what it is about the old Sterns but many of them have this steep slingshot feel to them, and this game is no different. I just find the bottom portion of many of their playfields...weird. I just don't like how they feel. Seawitch felt exactly the same to me and is ultimately why she didn't last in my collection.

9.751/10

6 years ago

CAD

cottonm4

Pinside+ Addict

Wichita, KS

10y 148K 16,560 10 23

The more I play this pin the better I like it. I feel fortunate to have found one to buy. I read the reviews of others and you will either like the back box bagatelle function, or you won't. All I can say is the more you play and the better you get, the bagatelle gets easier to play. Although the bagatelle is mostly luck there is a little bit of strategy and some minor flipper skills that come in to play so I will call the bagatelle part of the game semi-skilled. Since the bagatelle is a little bit more than just chance, I'm OK with it and look forward to the play between balls.

Now, the rest of the game: Do yourself a favor and loosen up your tilt bob; This game just demands to be nudged during play. Matter of fact, if you don't nudge, the greedy outlanes will eat you alive. But if you turn on your nudging skills you are going to get some wild, fast ball action. Your ball times might be short but they will be fast. And then when you get in synch that killer ball that lights up the whole table you will know what pinball fun is all about.

You have four sets of drop targets with three targets in each drop. A, B, C, and D. That is the game. Simple rules. Light up each drop in order A-B-C-D and now the outlanes light up with Extra Ball. Hit the outlane and get an Extra Ball. You gat get two extra balls. The accumulate. Take down the drops a second time and the outlanes will give you a shot for another extra ball.

Multi-ball: There is a 3-ball multi-ball possibility after you have locked two balls. Multi-ball is intense and usually drains fairly quick but if you can keep it going it is quite fun.

If you like fast playing pinball machines, Catacomb is a fun pin to play. If you get a chance to play one, give yourself a couple of hours to learn the bagatelle. The table action is good enough that I think if you learn the bagatelle you will have a very good time.

3 years later: I have raised some of my ratings scores. I have had 3 years with Catacomb. I'm still no wizard but I am getting better; To the points that I regularly rack up some good scores. If you crave fast, Catacomb delivers.

Some have issues with the Bagatelle function. Don't worry about it. Just shoot your way through the Bagatelle and get back to the play field. Work with keeping the ball going. The better you get, the better you get. Eventually, the Bagatelle will fall into place, but until it does, keep the ball active. Ignore your score. Just play.

Multi-ball sessions are extremely short ball times; Managing to keep all 3 balls on the play field for a few seconds is an adrenaline rush.

Catacomb will probably be the last pin I sell, when that time comes.

cottonm4 edited previous rating on July 16, 2020.
cottonm4 currently owns this game.

5 Pinsiders starred this!

9.432/10

7 years ago

ROB

rcbrown316

Pinside+ Addict

Webster, NY

9y 81,300 3,688 22 10

great great classic stern game. i feel lucky to have a very nice example. I have 15 games in my gameroom. we usually spend 4 to 5 hours playing...3 nights a week. we play 5 to 6 pins every night. catacomb is always one of them. If you go look at my current and past collection and it will give you a better impression of my regard for this game.

rcbrown316 currently owns this game.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

7.637/10

7 years ago

RHO

spiroagnew

Inactive member

11y 121K 982 161

I figured this game out enough to do a review about it. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but the game is a blast once you get the hang of how to collect the centre “toast” numbers and how they interact with the backbox bagatelle. I can imagine the bagatelle was quite the draw in arcades back in the day (it is in my gameroom), but I also imagine casual players would be put off by the confusing gameplay. The game can be thought of as a “thinking player’s game”, along with Big Game and Spectrum. Careful planning and accuracy is needed when collecting the coloured numbers from the banks of targets. Collecting the A-B-C-D banks in order to claim an extra ball is a difficult task. I appreciate the hidden ball locks, and the fact there is not clean shot to lock the balls. Just as the voice call out states, it is more of a random “capture”, than a traditional lock. Multiball moves at a fevered pace when achieved, and kicks up the fun factor of the game. Fantastic spinner shot, as found in many Stern games of the era, that can collect drops on the top and side banks before rocketing back down to the flippers. Theme serves the game well, its earthy browns and greens add to the eerie atmosphere, while the metallic voice is as jarring as it is creepy. This is a game that absolutely requires a tutorial to be appreciated. An underappreciated title from the period.

1.150/10

8 years ago

DOK

ziddosi

Inactive member

Magione

12y 26,250 8 81

Flipper ugly, poor design

8.827/10

8 years ago

EDH

TigerLaw

Pinside Moderator

Jennings, LA

14y 224K 20,099 24 240

I love explaining the rules of this game to first time players. This game is fabulous, one of the best of the era.

TigerLaw edited previous rating on April 17, 2022.
TigerLaw currently owns this game.

7.701/10

9 years ago

DPM

dmesserly

Pinside+ Frequent

12y 75,800 714 18

Catacomb is a really fun pin with tons of drops. Another interesting ruleset requiring thought when aiming to complete target banks. The backbox bagatelle is a like or dislike among many players and I like it. Mix of chance and skill to advance the "toast". One of my top three Sterns along with Star Gazer and Nine Ball.

7.045/10

9 years ago

GPS

onetaste

Pinside member

Adelaide Hills

10y 63,650 142 23 114

Really enjoyed this game when it first came out, haven't played it since.

onetaste has this game on the wishlist.

5.381/10

9 years ago

JLM

jlm33

Pinside member

Villejuif

11y 152K 5,892 7 169

Took me some time to find one. Great looking pin with a unique bagatelle. There might be some skill involved in the bagatelle shots... who knows... for me it's mostly random but really fun... for one or two games.
I love drop targets. It takes time to fully understand the rules... and realize it has the depth of a bingo machine (to be taken as an insult).

Edit: After a few months, the Honeymoon period is over. Forever...
Edit2: Please leave... I need my precious space !
Edit3: Catacomb involves as much skill as a Bingo machine. So happy it is now gone!

jlm33 edited previous rating on February 02, 2015.
jlm33 has owned this game in the past.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

7.273/10

9 years ago

ROB

RobKnapp

Pinside member

Colorado Springs, CO

13y 110K 3,116 13 183

Drop target are the name of the game . Fun

7.448/10

10 years ago

JRL

harbngr

Pinside member

Oakland, ME

11y 59,900 379 10 8

it is a drop target bonanza. 4 banks of 3. I get a kick out of explaining the rules on this one to new people trying it out. it is def one of the more complicated rule sets for an early Pin that I have played. I love the artwork, even though the wife had me put on some pasties for the back glass for a more family friendly environment.

harbngr currently owns this game.

9.012/10

10 years ago

DON

ilovegames007

Pinside member

Westlake, OH

13y 61,800 687 4 20

Best Classic Stern out there...I have over 30 games including DMD machines. Catacomb is a game i come back to time after time.

ilovegames007 has owned this game in the past.

7.950/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Catacomb is a game that is smarter than most of the people playing it. This includes me. The bonus and the bagatelle have their own set of rules that make all the difference on this table.

The Pros:
Cool shots and the Bagatelle in the BG make for some interesting/luck based play. The targets that need to be hit rotate about the table and have a significant affect on bonus. Choose, shoot and time your shots with precision. The Swords and sorcery theme works very well with this design.

The Cons:
The shots on the "B" Bank are luck from the bumpers or a glancing blow from the spinnner lane. With multiball, locked balls can be stolen, this is something to be considered carefully. The rulesheet is useless. Expect to play 100 times and still be confused as to what you need to do when playing this table.

The Takeaway:
Play one if you can for a few weeks and let me know what you learned about it. Even though I don't get all of the rules of this game, I still really like it. I'd like it even better if I knew what to do with this deck.

Update:
Finally got to play a copy with a player who owned it and he showed me a few things. First of all, the bagatelle is incredibly powerful and can "catch a player up" right quick if utilized properly. You have got to know how to use the secondary buttons to change the lit number on the A-B-C-D lanes to make the most of this feature. Essentially, light the unlit #'s on the 4x4 grid and try to flip the ball into the lane with the unlit A-B-C-D number. Keep doing this until you fill the grid or you hit an already lit #. The "B" targets have to be shot through the two pop bumpers at the top of the PF to be dropped with intent. The spinner is always satisfying to rip and when all 3 inserts are lit. While there will always be a "luck" factor to this game, it is far from a skill-less game. Get to know it, learn to play it and love it!

Caucasian2Step edited previous rating on November 27, 2018.

9.603/10

15 years ago

JGJ

Chicanelane

Pinside+ Frequent

16y 49,800 72 13 8 1

One of Sterns finest. Bagatelle game in backbox makes it unique. Great artwork and a challenging pin to play.

Chicanelane edited previous rating on September 09, 2010.
Chicanelane currently owns this game.

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