Ready, aim, ZORCH! Chex Quest HD is a new version of the classic video game Chex Quest. It’s available to play on the online gaming platform, STEAM, for free!
Chex Quest was the first non-violent first-person shooter game built using the Doom engine. (That’s right, no killing; enemies are simply sent back to their own dimension.) Since its inception in 1996, Chex Quest has maintained a cult following and a devoted fan base. Re-launched by General Mills and fully remastered in all its original glory, the new Chex Quest features modern additions including split-screen multiplayer mode, five new playable members of the mighty Chex Mix Squadron, and high-definition graphics.
According to “A Taste of General Mills” blog, Chex Quest HD also features quite a few pop culture references from the 80’s and 90s. “We’ve tapped into a lot of historically important people from the ‘80s and ‘90s to participate,” said Alex Colvin, senior manager of Brand Experience at General Mills. “We have voices from the original Ninja Turtles cartoon and artists who worked on Mega Man and Tetris.”
Back by Popular Demand
“Chex Quest was a huge hit in the ‘90s when it launched as a CD-ROM game in Chex cereal boxes,” said Charis Wilson, assistant manager of Brand Experience at General Mills. “Since then, countless fans have reached out begging for its return,” added Kaylee Pohlmeyer, Marketing Communications Manager at General Mills.
To meet demand for this game in the interim, a community of volunteers worked together for more than 20 years to make updates to the originals. The passion and commitment of Chex Quest fans inspired General Mills’ Chex Mix to finish the current iteration in the Unreal game engine and add four-player “Chexmatch” mode, either locally or via STEAM’s Remote Play Together feature, all while ensuring it kept the same, beloved characteristics that made it so popular.
Chex Mix partnered with Chuck Jacobi, the lead art director and level designer of the original Chex Quest. Together they teamed up with indie game developer Flight School Studios to remaster the game with cinematics and multiplayer capabilities. Andrew Benson, who wrote music for the original game, also contributed music. Jacobi said, “the new Chex Quest definitely exceeded my expectations.”
“Chex Quest has always been a fun hobby for me,” Jacobi further explained. “I am grateful to all the volunteers who have been working to remaster this game for some time. It is amazing to see all of this come to life with multiplayer and new characters. I have always enjoyed the silly world of Chex Quest and I hope fans of the original game will feel a sense of nostalgia with this new edition.”
Chex Mix Squadron
While the new game features modern additions, the team worked hard to stay true to what fans love most about the original. “Our goal was to bottle some of the love that the original game had,” said Colvin. “Perhaps the biggest difference is the addition of the Chex Mix Squadron, five new players based on the Chex Mix pieces.”
A Chex cereal piece was the hero of the original Chex Quest. But as Kaylee Pohlmeyer said, “All the different pieces that make up Chex Mix made it the perfect General Mills brand to step in and relaunch this classic video game as a free, downloadable version with new multiplayer capabilities and new characters to join the Chex Warrior.”
In the new release of Chex Quest, the Intergalactic Federation of Snacks’ outpost on the remote planet of Bazoik has been overrun by the evil, slimy “Flemoid” menace trying to turn the planet’s snacktacular way of life into total chaos. It is up to one highly trained member of the Chex Mix Squadron to rescue the planet of Bazoik and the other missing Chex Squadron characters by zorching the Flemoids back to their own dimension.
The band of playable characters includes the original Fred Chexter (Corn Chex) and new playable characters: Wheatney Chexworth (Wheat Chex), Shane “The Dread” McBread (Breadstick), NaCI-96 (Round Pretzel), Dr. O Ryen (Rye Chip) and P.R.E.T.Z.L. (Square Pretzel), each with a unique ending and in-game dialogue. Join now and learn how to zorch and bootspork, find keys, open doors and don’t forget about the secret rooms on every level to help with the rescue mission.
Everything You Need to Know
For more information about Chex Quest, visit ChexQuest.com and check out General Mills’ Chex Quest FAQs. Take a look at the official trailer. Download and play new multiplayer Chex Quest for free on STEAM. Unlock new multiplayer mode and playable Chex Mix characters through unique codes found on specially marked bags of Chex Mix, on Chex Mix Instagram, or at ChexQuest.com.
According to General Mills, the Chex Mix packages featuring Chex Quest HD codes “will be available starting mid-May” at most major retailers and convenience stores including Walmart, Kroger, Target, Publix, Albertsons, Safeway, Publix, Meijer, HyVee, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Dollar General, Ahold Delhaize, 7-Eleven, Kwik Trip, Wawa, and more.
Here’s what to look for: Traditional 15 oz, Cheddar 15 oz, Bold 15 oz, Cheddar 8.75 oz, Bold 8.75 oz, Cheddar 3.75 oz. The Chex Mix website specifies which characters appear on what size bags and where they’re sold. As of the last day in May, we still haven’t found any, though. So if you’ve actually seen any in stores, please tell us.
Are you a new or old fan of Chex Quest? We’d love to hear from you!
Just yesterday I managed to find a family-size bag of Cheddar Chex Mix at Walmart. That’s all I’ve seen so far.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the first release of Newmaps: A Chex Quest Mod, Super Searcher and Xbolt got together to play through the game and record a developer commentary. https://youtu.be/XiZXHh5KQ-E
Target has all of the family-size bags with the Chex Quest characters on them. Now all I have to find is the smaller snack-size bags.