Chex Quest

I have played some very odd games over the years, but Chex Quest and the story behind it is one of the strangest. You may be nodding your head and scratching your chin as you say “Chex that sounds familiar”. Well, the reason for that is that this is a game that is all about the Chex cereal…with a hint of Doom!

Ultimate Doom!

Chex Quest is a game that was built using the Ultimate Doom Engine. It was made as a promotional item and it was something that most people when it was originally released thought was really cool. After all, you got this with your morning cereal and what is cooler than morning cereal and video games. While it is made using the Ultimate Doom game engine, Chex Quest is very much aimed at kids. It takes all of the violence and blood out but keeps the fun and exciting gameplay which makes this a game that is far more fun than many people would probably give it credit for.

I’m A Chex Man

Doom was never known for its story, but in Chex Quest, they do try to flesh the game out a little bit more. The basic idea of the story is that you are a soldier who is on a distant planet and he is also wearing a suit that looks like a piece of Chex cereal. On this planet, humans are just doing their thing when one day a race of aliens that are known as the Flemoids try to take it over. You need to find keys, destroy enemies and do everything that you did in Doom in order to make sure humanity survives the alien invasion. For a game that is based on a cereal, I am really surprised that there is as much story in this game as there is.

Goofy Goodness

Any game that is based on the Doom engine always has the potential to be fun and I think that Chex Quest is a very fun game. The actual game does feel very much like Doom and that is a good thing. You go around the level destroying enemies and trying to figure out where you need to go. The game uses some very amusing weapons and there is of course pretty much no violence here. However, the goofiness of the game works in its favor and it is sure to put a smile on your face. One thing in particular that I thought was a lot of fun was that when you run out of ammo you can hit enemies with a cereal spoon.

Chex Quest is a very strange game, but I think its history is very interesting. It is well worth a play through and while at first glance it looks just like a kids game. As it is made with that Doom engine it is a very fun game to play and even though the graphics look rather primitive by today's standards. Chex Quest does have a fair bit of polish about it. It is just crazy to think that this is a kid’s game, based on a cereal that is made from the engine of one of the most violent games of the 90s!

7.5/10

Pros:

• The game is made using Ultimate Doom engine
• The weapons that you use are a lot of fun
• It has a real charm about it
• You can beat up aliens with a cereal spoon
• It was made as a tie into Chex cereal!

Cons:

• The graphics are a little primitive
• It is aimed at kids

Chex Quest is an incredibly interesting game, not just because of its wacky concept and gameplay, but because of the story behind the game's creation. The game is a total conversion modification of The Ultimate Doom, a first person shooter released on PC in 1995. The Ultimate Doom is well known in the PC gaming community, as it's often regarded as one of the best classic first person shooters. Whereas The Ultimate Doom is full of demons, blood, and horror, Chex Quest is a fun and quirky adventure through space. Although they are made with the same foundation, both games are incredibly different but still noticeable similar. The most surprising thing of all; Chex Quest is a fantastic game that was originally included for free in cereal boxes.

The “Chex” in Chex Quest is the same Chex cereal that might be popping into your head. Originally designed as a promotional item for the Chex brand cereal, Chex Quest is an intriguing and important title in gaming history. Like mentioned before, the game is a full conversion of The Ultimate Doom. This means that the game plays and feels like The Ultimate Doom, but has wholly original weapons, enemies, and levels. Gameplay remains similar to Doom; you run around maze-like levels defeating enemies and collect colored-key cards to progress through the stage. Upon reaching the exit, your total kills and time are tallied, and you move onto the next stage. It's a simple but effective formula, and one that gives the game a lot of replayability.

Funnily enough, the story in Chex Quest is far more fleshed out than in The Ultimate Doom. Once again, players take on the role of an unnamed soldier. This time, it's an astronaut in a Chex-cereal shaped suit, exploring the distant planet of Bazoik. On this interstellar planet colonized by humans, a group of slimy green aliens known as the Flemoids have started to invade. It's up to the Chex Warrior and his arsenal of “zorcher” weaponry to eliminate the Flemoid threat and save the human colonists. Like The Ultimate Doom, this narrative simply serves as a setup to the gameplay. However, it's funny and wacky in an appropriate way, and it does a good job putting you in the right mindset.

The best part of Chex Quest is how fun it is to play. Since the game is essentially The Ultimate Doom aimed at kids, the result is a mashup of excellent gameplay mechanics and colorful graphics. The guns have been designed as non-violent, giving players a slew of silly gadgets to use. Instead of beating up enemies with their fists, players can resort to using a spoon when they run out of ammo. It's these kind of humorous ideas that make Chex Quest so endearing. The rest of the experience is tons of fun to play.

If you're a fan of classic first person shooters like The Ultimate Doom or Wolfenstein 3D, you should definitely check out Chex Quest. It's an oddball game that has gone on to receive tons of praise, with critics citing its inventive use of the Doom engine. It's also a marketing first; as Chex Quest was the first piece of interactive media included in cereal boxes. Although the idea of Chex Quest is absolutely ridiculous, the game is surprisingly fun to play. We recommend you give it a try; maybe you'll be the next great Chex Warrior of Bazoik!