This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Chex Quest 3 is a First Person Shooter developed by Charles Jacobi of Digital Cafe' Incorporated.
Originally Chex Quest was a promotional tool. Digital Cafe' was hired by Ralston (Who used to own Chex) to boost sales. When the sales of Chex Cereal boxes DID boost, Digital Cafe' tried to keep the flame going by releasing a sloppy level extension, Chex Quest 2, on ChexQuest.com.
But it wasn't until ten years later before Charles Jacobi, who was an artist for the first 2 games, released Chex Quest 3 via free download on the web. Chex-3 included a slightly revised Chex-1, and a MAJORLY revised Chex-2, all within the same Exe, which is overall just a modification of ZDoom.
But cut the history because you and I both know that we aren't here to poke fun at my embarrassingly vast knowledge of the history of Chex themed games. NO, we are in fact here to poke fun at my poor ability to precisely shove biases aside and review a game for what it is at it's core.
And at it's core, Chex Quest 3, is a flawed masterpiece. But with a very heavy focus on the 'flawed' . I find it fun to play, but if I had to actually focus on any single element it would become pretty clear as to WHY this game really shouldn't work.
First off, the controls.The game starts you off with VERY bad controls. Moving the mouse at all with (Yes, move the camera) but it will also move the PLAYER a little bit. And you have to turn that off. The game is set to be played with the keyboard by itself.... and also the mouse by itself. It's so bizarre. And that's another thing too, the keyboard controls the game gives you are pretty stupid.
It allows SPACE to use.
'' for right strafe
LEFT for turning left
RIGHT for turning right, and
CTRL for "Zorching"
All of this seems well and good but it feels so awkward. In order to properly play, without moving your right hand around like your strumming to a beat, is to hunch your other hand over and try to figure out which finger goes to which button. It really feels impossible.
Trying to use the mouse is even weirder. You move it up to move forward (A couple meters up is like... 2 inches in game) Move it left and right to turn. And you click to shoot. This could have worked, but the speed it all happens at is SO SLOW. You turn like someone is holding down your shoulders, and you move even slower than that.
Fortunately, you CAN customize the controls to pretty much whatever you want. But the starting point is so messed up, that trying to fix it takes a super long time. And by the time you've got it figured out, you don't care about playing anymore.
But once you DO finish, (And say you haven't lost any reason to play at that point,) the game does get better. The story's scale gets a bit more epic as you go along. Starting out in a building on a planet named "Bazoik". Then a city. And then you find yourself in the midst of a full on war, spanning a planet named "Ralston" (*Budum TSSSSS)
And the gameplay is smooth as butter. Only problem is, is that it's just about as varied as butter. There isn't really any variety. Except for those bread crumbs you find, and try really hard not to put them on your toast. In fact, I change my previous statement, this game is pretty much those breadcrumbs. The one flaw, in something you really shouldn't be indulging in, in the first place.
But that said, I like butter! And bread! In fact, in some cases, they go hand in hand. And the overall flaws in this game oddly enough give it a weird charm. It's almost an experience. I mean, sure it IS a game. You roam around a 3D environment shooting monsters, collecting keys, and fighting the occasional boss. But it all kind of drones on you. In a good way. You feel like you aren't really playing, but rather.... Enjoying. Just along for the ride, only you have to spend about 20 minutes setting up the controls for that ride.
CHEX QUEST… Expand
