Officially endorsed by General Mills
[Update: As was brought to my attention by Destructoid contributor Adzuken, Chex Quest 3 is actually not brand new. Released in 2008 by Jacobi as an unofficial add-on, today marks the first time it is being endorsed by General Mills. It is now a part of Chex Quest instead of a fan add-on. A little odd, but there is never a bad time to bring up Chex Quest. – Peter]
Talk about a blast from the past. Out of the blue, a brand new episode for the ’90s advergame Chex Quest has been officially released. Endorsed by General Mills (owners of the Chex brand), this new release (titled Chex Quest 3) isn’t a pale imitation of the original Doom clone, but work done by Chex Quest art director Charles Jacobi. It continues on the legacy of the original and its second episode, now forming a complete game after 22 years.
Running off of a modern Doom source port (the ZDoom engine), Chex Quest 3 includes both of the original episodes alongside this new one with support for modern screen resolutions and operating systems. The new episode is said to be more difficult than the originals, though still kid-friendly enough to not piss off the inner child in you. You can grab it for from a brand new ’90s themed website launched by Chex.
To commemorate the launch, Chex has uploaded a short documentary about the making of the original game in 1996. Turns out it was kind of a bootstrapping thing that came together in under a year. That the legacy of Chex Quest almost rivals that of Doom speaks to the quality of the original product. Not a lot of first-person shooters can claim to be as popular as ID Software’s mega-hit.
Chex Quest 3 officially released free, and only 22 yearslate [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]