Editing Chex Quest (section)

==Reception and legacy==
{{Video game reviews
| Allgame = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=Allgame/>
}}
On release, the game was received largely positively by players. Consumers of diverse ages gave enthusiastic feedback, and there were many requests for the development of sequels.<ref name=PMA/><ref name=hub/> Corporate sales of Chex cereal also saw a tremendous boost with incremental volume over base increasing by 295% and volume share increasing 48% from the previous year.<ref name=PMA/><ref name=hub/> These increases were directly attributed to the release of ''Chex Quest'', and General Mills deemed the promotion "highly successful."<ref>Fitzgerald, Kate. "News - Events & Promotions: See The CD-ROMs: Package Goods Lure Consumers With Offers Of Free Software." ''[[Advertising Age]]''. p. 48. 29 September 1997.</ref> Although the promotion only lasted 6 weeks, the game continued to be played well beyond the promotional period and promotional marketing groups considered the brand image to have been revitalized "from old-fashioned and stodgy to exciting, fun and modern."<ref name=PMA/>

Despite this, what little critical attention ''Chex Quest'' received in the [[Video game journalism|video game press]] tended to be negative. Comparisons of the game to its forerunner (''Doom'') and to other similar games of the day were often unfavorable to ''Chex Quest'', which was pejoratively labeled a "''Doom'' clone", and the game was regarded as an imitation with little to no innovation.<ref>Arsenault, Dominic. ''[http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/vol3no2-3/125 Video Game Genre, Evolution and Innovation - Part III. Game Genre and Innovation: Imitation and Evolution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124123442/https://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/vol3no2-3/125 |date=2020-01-24 }}''. Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture. Vol. 3, no. 2. pp. 149–176. 2009.</ref> Noted cereal scholar Scott Bruce decried General Mills' decision to invent a new mascot for Chex cereal for such frivolous purposes, and dismissed the Chex Warrior as not compelling enough to sell the product.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sweet nothings - Free playthings? Most cereal boxes come up empty.|newspaper=[[The Boston Herald]]|date=July 17, 1997|last=Teitell|first=Beth}}</ref>

In modern times, ''Chex Quest'' is often considered to have been highly innovative<ref>{{cite CiteSeerX | last = Scacchi | first = Walt | title = Computer Game Mods, Modders, Modding, and the Mod Scene: Customizing, Tailoring, and Remixing Game Embodiments | citeseerx = 10.1.1.117.3375 | pages = 3–4 | year = 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite CiteSeerX | last = Scacchi | first = Walt | title = Governing the Mod Squad: Customizing, Tailoring, and Remixing Game Embodiments | citeseerx = 10.1.1.157.9787 | page = 5 | date = 29 December 2009 }}</ref> and to have pioneered the use of licensed modding to insert product placement into established titles.<ref>Vedrashko, Ilya. ''[http://mit.dspace.org/bitstream/handle/1721.1/39144/123290221.pdf Advertising in Computer Games - Part III: The Many Ways to Advertise - Product Placement: Modding] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402162015/http://mit.dspace.org/bitstream/handle/1721.1/39144/123290221.pdf |date=April 2, 2012 }}''. Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Department of Comparative Media Studies. Pg. 58. September 2006.</ref> Although at least 5 million copies were released, the original CDs are uncommon on the [[secondary market]] as they were noted by collectors as having great collectible value in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Catch a 'Vibe' on line|newspaper=[[The Boston Herald]]|last=Cardwell|first= Annette|date=August 8, 1997}}</ref> The game has attracted a sizeable cult following, and its fanbase has been noted with interest by critics for the continued devotion to the game despite its great age.<ref name=PAX2010/> Other critics, however, have characterized the game as bad even for a ''Doom'' clone.<ref>Mamatas, Nick; Yeffeth, Glen; Thomason, Jennifer. ''Halo Effect: An Unauthorized Look at the Most Successful Video Game of All Time - Run Awaaaaay!'' BenBella Books. pp. 143–152. 2007. {{ISBN|1-933771-11-9}}</ref>

In a retrospective review, [[AllGame]] editor Jonathan Sutyak referred to Chex Quest as "a good game",<ref name=Allgame>{{cite web |last=Sutyak |first=Jonathan |title=Chex Quest - Review |website=[[Allgame]] |accessdate=July 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117060731/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14300&tab=review|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14300&tab=review |archive-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> and that it is suitable for a "child who might enjoy a first-person shooter but is not ready for the violence that occurs in most games of this genre".<ref name=Allgame/>

=== Sequels ===

==== ''Chex Quest 2: Flemoids Take Chextropolis'' ====

Digital Café's sequel entitled ''Chex Quest 2: Flemoids Take Chextropolis'' was simultaneously made freely available for gamers to download from the Chex Quest homepage.<ref name=sicherman/><ref name=PMA/> Developed on an even tighter schedule than the original game, ''Chex Quest 2'' was rushed to completion and consequently the level design and progression notably suffered.<ref name=lock/> Plans were drafted to allow individual [[WAD file]] levels and updates to the game to be posted on the company Web site as an effective way of generating traffic there,<ref name=gaw/><ref>''The Gasman Cometh''. [[The Buffalo News]]. 16 February 1997.</ref> and an end sequence suggesting a possible third installation was available for viewing. Before a third title in the series was developed, the promotion came to an end and both the original ''Chex Quest'' and ''Chex Quest 2'' became effectively unavailable until they were posted for download on Internet fan pages several years later. A number of [[fangame]] editions were completed by fans to act as the third game in the series.<ref name=lock/> However, nearly a decade would pass before a second sequel was created with any claim of [[Canon (fiction)|canonicity]] with the original two games.

In this sequel's plot, the Chex Warrior returns to his home planet and lands in Chex City only to discover that the Flemoid threat has reached his homeworld. There, the player battles through a terrestrial spaceport, a cinema (showing three videos each endlessly looping), a museum, and the eponymous city (Chextropolis), until reaching the sewers to confront an end [[Boss (video gaming)|boss]] named "The Maximus".

==== ''Chex Quest 3: Invasion!'' ====
In 2008, ''Chex Quest 3: Invasion!'' was developed and released as a service to fans<ref name=plante24sep10/> by former Digital Café members Charles Jacobi (art director and lead artist) and Scott Holman (programmer).<ref name=PCGamerAug09/> Former Digital Café sound design leader Andrew Benson also contributed several songs for the game. Originally intended as a single standalone level, Jacobi announced the development of a full sequel at the Chex Quest Fan Page (Chexquest.org) in June 2008, and the full game was released in September of the same year.<ref name=plante15sep08>Plante, Chris. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130421132601/http://www.ugo.com/games/chex-quest-3-released-cereal-fans-rejoice Chex Quest 3 Released; Cereal fans set down spoons to rejoice]''. [[UGO Networks|UGO]] (archived via [[Internet Archive]]). 15 September 2008.</ref> ''Chex Quest 3'' employs the [[ZDoom]] source port (version 2.3.1),<ref>Martin, Joe. ''[http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2008/09/12/chex-quest-3-released/1 Chex Quest 3 Released]''. [[bit-tech]]. 12 September 2008.</ref> and is considerably larger in size than the previous two games.<ref name=lock/> Jacobi's release of ''Chex Quest 3'' also included ZDoom-based versions of ''Chex Quest'' and ''Chex Quest 2'',<ref>[[Derek Yu|Yu, Derek]]. ''[http://www.tigsource.com/2008/09/11/chex-quest-3 Chex Quest 3]''. TIGSource. 11 September 2008.</ref> with significant enhancements and noted problems redressed. ''Chex Quest 2'' in particular had been remastered, with some levels significantly revised or completely overhauled.<ref name=lock/> Charles Jacobi credited the praise and compliments of fans, especially through fan-made projects such as one titled "The Ultimate Chex Quest", as inspiration to complete this project.<ref name="lock"/> If anyone wishes to play Chex Quest 3 in latest versions of ZDoom and GZDoom, then download Chex Quest 3 (version 1.4, dated 24 June 2009) and extract its contents, download the latest version of the desired port, then copy the chex3.wad file into the ZDoom or GZDoom folder.

The plot for this sequel is set ten years later than the events of the first two ''Chex Quest'' games, with the invasion of the planet Ralston by the Flemoids. The breadth of the story was expanded to a much larger scale, possessing a seemingly more grim scenario than the predecessors—the latter of which Charles Jacobi dispelled as unintentional, in that he simply "wanted it to feel bigger" than the first two games.<ref name="lock"/>

====''Chex Quest HD''====
In response to an interview question regarding the possibility of a [[canon (fiction)|canonical]] [[Kickstarter]]-funded ''Chex Quest 4'', Jacobi pointed out that the franchise is owned by General Mills so a funded project would likely violate copyright and trademark laws. However, freely distributed non-tarnishing modifications created by hobbyists would probably be protected as free speech.<ref name=lock/>

In 2016, Jacobi revealed that a high definition remake of the original game called ''Chex Quest HD'' was in development using [[Unreal Engine 4]] with the permission of General Mills.<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.pcgamer.com/doom-mod-chex-quest-is-getting-a-hd-remake/ | title = Doom mod Chex Quest is getting a HD remake | magazine = [[PC Gamer]] | accessdate = 2019-02-26 }}</ref> A trailer for the remake was released in February 2019. Like the original game it contains five levels and was released for free.<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-some-long-awaited-footage-of-chex-quest-hd/ | title = Here's some long-awaited footage of Chex Quest HD | magazine = [[PC Gamer]] | accessdate = 2019-02-26 }}</ref> The Chex Warrior, the protagonist of the original game, is given the name Fred Chexter in the remake.

The remake was released on May 18, 2020, and can be acquired through Steam. It was also released on March 11, 2022, for the [[Nintendo Switch]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-04 |title=Chex Quest HD Exists, And It's Getting A Switch Port This March |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/03/chex-quest-hd-exists-and-its-getting-a-switch-port-this-march |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Fanbase===
Similarities have been drawn by fans between ''Chex Quest'' and ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye]]'' with respect to the legal rights to the game subsequent to the original creators' purchase by larger companies.<ref name=PAX2010/> These corporate events have made the likelihood of later official sequels rather uncertain. As with ''GoldenEye'', however, ''Chex Quest'' still has a devoted cult fanbase who still create fan-art, new [[WAD file]]s, and even full sequels to the game 20 years after the game's original release—a fact that has been used to highlight the capacity for PC games to foster and support community innovation.<ref name=PAX2010/><ref>Decker, Logan. ''FanService''. PC Gamer. #207. Pg.5. December 2010.</ref>

''Chex Quest'' has gained a devoted fanbase since its cereal-box release in 1997. Often simultaneous fans of [[Chex]] cereal<ref name=plante15sep08/> and the [[Doom (series)|''Doom'' series]], the active ''Chex Quest'' fan community has produced a host of [[fan-made]] sequels, and numerous unofficial projects have been undertaken including the ''Chex Trek'' series and the ''Zorchmatch'' mod.<ref name=PAX2010/> Other examples which have arguably entered the [[fanon (fiction)|fanon]] include a fan-made ''Chex Quest 3''<ref name=lock/> and ''Chex Quest 4'', and such .wad and [[GameMaker Studio|Game Maker]] sequels as ''Return of the Chex Warrior'', ''Chex Quest Project Z'', and the ''Chex Quest'' platformer. There are fan-made Chex Quest WADs designed for nearly all major ''Doom'' source ports, even the original [[Doom engine|''Doom'' engine]].