# Help identifying a weird 1990s computer game involving aliens, a maze and a dead Nazi
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** video-games-e-games
**Created:** [December 2, 2022, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899 "2022-12-02T02:08:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/1 "2022-12-02T02:08:58Z")
So there was a computer game in the 1990s that scared me as a kid, not sure if anyone else here played it:
The game involved you, the protagonist, stepping into a labyrinth-type maze. At the very beginning, there is a dead Nazi officer lying on the ground. You go up to him and pick up his pistol and ammunition. Soon thereafter, various alien-type creatures with tentacles coming out of the heads starting pursuing you through the maze and you need to shoot them while trying to find some way out. The game’s colors are in something like night vision - everything dark or green.
Does this ring a bell for anyone?
---
### Author:  [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/2 "2022-12-02T02:11:47Z")
Wolfenstein.
---
### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/3 "2022-12-02T02:25:17Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#):
>
> Wolfenstein.
Doesn’t fit this part:
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> Soon thereafter, various alien-type creatures with tentacles coming out of the heads starting pursuing you through the maze and you need to shoot them while trying to find some way out.
---
### Author:  [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/4 "2022-12-02T02:27:28Z")
Perhaps there were no tentacles. Otherwise, I stand by my story. I spent many an hour playing Wolfenstein when I was supposed to be working.
---
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/5 "2022-12-02T02:35:30Z")
I looked up Wolfenstein on YouTube (hadn’t heard of its 1990s version) and…it doesn’t fit. No aliens. There were no other humans in the game other than you, the protagonist, and the dead Nazi on the floor.
---
### Author:  [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/6 "2022-12-02T02:40:17Z")
Was it PC, or console?
---
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/7 "2022-12-02T03:22:25Z")
PC, I was playing it at a friend’s house. This would be 1994 or 1995.
---
### Author:  [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/8 "2022-12-02T03:36:08Z")
_[Pathways into Darkness?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathways_into_Darkness)_
---
### Author:  [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/9 "2022-12-02T04:41:22Z")
The original Doom or a modded version?
---
### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/10 "2022-12-02T05:02:55Z")
Doom had nothing to do with Nazis.
I’m pretty sure @Pork_Rind had it right.
---
### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/11 "2022-12-02T05:20:30Z")
In one module of Wolfenstein 3D, Operation: Eisenfaust, the main enemies are mutants created by the Nazis as an undead army. I don’t remember if they had tentacles coming out of their head, but what you describe matches everything else.
---
### Author:  [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/12 "2022-12-02T05:21:30Z")
I’m pretty sure that’s it. I distinctly remember the dead Nazi at the beginning of the maze crawl.
Notably, _Pathways_ sets the stage for the _Marathon_ series, which eventually morphs into the _Halo_ series.
---
### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/13 "2022-12-02T05:25:43Z")
Yup, I just watched a little gameplay of _Pathways_ on YouTube, and it’s definitely it. I even saw a monster with tentacles for a head.
---
### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/14 "2022-12-02T07:44:32Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#):
>
> Notably, _Pathways_ sets the stage for the _Marathon_ series, which eventually morphs into the _Halo_ series.
And it was inspired by Wolfenstein initially.
---
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [December 2, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/15 "2022-12-02T22:02:33Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> Doom had nothing to do with Nazis.
Almost nothing. There were a couple of secret levels based on Wolfenstein.
---
### Author:  [@frognot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frognot)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/16 "2022-12-05T21:53:03Z")
Was it Spear of Destiny?
---
### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/17 "2022-12-05T22:05:17Z")
That game was a prequel to Wolfenstein and was basically the same game, just with different bosses and slightly tweaked storyline. It doesn’t fit the OP’s description.
Meanwhile, here is a screenshot from the previously-mentioned _Pathways into Darkness._
[ ](https://lparchive.org/Pathways-Into-Darkness/Update%205/tonsofmonsters.png)
Note, very dark and green visual, alien-type creature with tentacles coming out of the head. The game’s plot also includes “fallen members of a Nazi expedition from the 1930s who were looking for a secret weapon” per Wikipedia. Also, here is a “let’s play” article about the game:
> **[Pathways Into Darkness - Update 1](https://lparchive.org/Pathways-Into-Darkness/Update%201/)**
>
> Let's Play Pathways Into Darkness by HB - Part 1
The game does start with you entering the dungeon and almost right away finding a dead Nazi that you loot a pistol and ammo from. (You start with a pistol but no ammo, and the Nazi has ammo for your pistol, and also another pistol with its own ammo.)
[ ](https://lparchive.org/Pathways-Into-Darkness/Update%201/stuff.png)
That’s the dead Nazi on the left in grey uniform.
I can’t imagine that this can be any other game.
Maybe @Velocity can return and confirm if this is correct.
---
### Author:  [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/18 "2022-12-05T22:07:13Z")
(ETA: ninja’d)
Was it a first-person shooter?
> **[List of first-person shooters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_first-person_shooters)**
>
> This is a comprehensive index of commercial first-person shooter video games, sorted alphabetically by title. The developer, platform, and release date are provided where available. The table can be sorted by clicking on the small boxes next to the column headings.
> Initially items sorted alphabetically by "title". The table can be sorted by a different column via clicking on the small box next to column heading.
> 2007 (Wii)
---
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [December 5, 2022, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identifying-a-weird-1990s-computer-game-involving-aliens-a-maze-and-a-dead-nazi/975899/19 "2022-12-05T22:08:41Z")
Thanks **Atamasama and Pork Rind**. It may be. I was only 7-9 years old at the time so I may be misremembering some important details. And I had only seen the game once - was watching while someone else played. But thanks for the sleuthing!
yes, **Lumpy** , it was a first-person shooter.