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# Find your favorite room amid the chaos of The Catacombs of Solaris
- URL: https://www.killscreen.com/find-favorite-room-amid-chaos-catacombs-solaris/
- Published: 2016-11-04T11:00:24.000Z
- Updated: 2016-11-04T10:21:09.000Z
- Description: A strategy to use when exploring ruins in Dungeons & Dragons is to hug the wall. Have the beefiest party member (preferably a halfling barbarian) lead the way—not necessary, but a warrior knows how to survive. When presented with the option to turn either left or right, pick the latter. Always. The
- Author: Emma Kidwell
- Tags: News, 3d, abstract, Art Game, first person, Ian MacLarty, the catacombs of solaris, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-26 09:39

A strategy to use when exploring ruins in *Dungeons & Dragons* is to hug the wall. Have the beefiest party member (preferably a halfling barbarian) lead the way—not necessary, but a warrior knows how to survive. When presented with the option to turn either left or right, pick the latter. *Always*. The party will always find their way out eventually, even if it takes two hours.

With this in mind, I travelled through the ever-changing environment of [*The Catacombs of Solaris*](https://ianmaclarty.itch.io/catacombs-of-solaris?ref=killscreen.com). It’s a “mind-bending” first-person exploration game created by Ian MacLarty in which the goal is to “find your favourite room in the catacombs.” Taking the *D&D* approach, I took every right turn presented to me. Although there is no exiting the catacombs, I pictured myself as though I were a guest in a museum dedicated solely to the works of a Jackson Pollock who threw cans of pixelated bits and bytes instead of paint.

![02](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/84/2584b75d-4bd6-4cce-8259-f1d1c65abbb5/content/images/previously/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/02.png)

Movement was a little disorienting at first. The arrow keys are used to look around as if turning your head, and if there was a room that seemed appealing, it would change shape as you approached. The colors and patterns of the surrounding walls looked as though they were shrinking as I walked towards them.

everything was abstract

The experience was vaguely that of a funhouse attraction that featured mirrors that would bend and warp your figure. Each room had a distinct style. Some looked like TV static. Others looked like marble. But for the most part, everything was abstract. Since there was no music in the catacombs, I was free to create whatever experience I wanted based on the soundtrack I was listening to.

After a little while I was able to find my favorite room. It looked like I placed a kaleidoscope over my eyes and spun around until I became dizzy. Then I turned to the right and began walking once again. The game only asks that you do the same.

*To play The Catacombs of Solaris click* [*here*](https://ianmaclarty.itch.io/catacombs-of-solaris?ref=killscreen.com)*.*

![03](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/84/2584b75d-4bd6-4cce-8259-f1d1c65abbb5/content/images/previously/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/03.png)