Chester Cheetah: Too Cool To Fool

Brand

Cheetos

Year

1992

Objective

Awareness

Industry

Food & Drink

Mechanic

Arcade & Action

Platform

In-Game

Agency

SSystem Vision

Added

October 2026

1. 1

   The player starts a single-player cartridge game as Chester Cheetah, trapped at Four Corners Zoo after zookeeper Mean Eugene strips down Chester's motorcycle and scatters its parts across the park; an options menu lets players set credits, lives, test sound, and remap buttons before starting.

2. 2

   Core movement is platforming: walking, crouching, climbing ropes and vines, and jumping; holding a shoulder button adds a run once sneakers are picked up. The only attack is a stomp that stuns enemies rather than killing them, so players route around foes instead of clearing them.

3. 3

   A health bar of Cheetah Paw icons takes damage from enemies and refills from paw pickups, with five lives in reserve before a game over.

4. 4

   Pickups add temporary twists: sunglasses shift the screen to a dark filter that briefly reveals hidden bonuses and, on the first level, arrows pointing toward the goal; an electric guitar makes Chester dance and become invulnerable but strips player control, risking a fall into hazards; a skateboard warps the player into a bonus stage, and collecting enough bonus icons across levels earns an extra credit.

5. 5

   Each level's loop is exploration-first: the exit is visible but locked until the player finds that level's hidden motorcycle part, which sits behind a trap, forcing a search of the stage before moving on.

6. 6

   The five levels each carry a themed setting and a signature traversal mechanic: a parallax zoo stage with a sewer drop for the wheels, a vine-swinging pit for the handlebars (aided by a friendly character called The Hip-O), dark caves for the engine, and an aviary for the ignition key.

7. 7

   A couple of levels introduce a one-off mechanic never repeated elsewhere, such as riding a mine cart or a brief flying segment.

8. 8

   In two levels the part is simply hidden, while in three it's awarded only after defeating Mean Eugene and his guard dog Grunt in boss fights where the player must first figure out how to damage them; Mean Eugene can also transform Chester into a monkey, with a character called Funky Monkey helping him escape that state.

9. 9

   The game ends with a final boss fight that introduces a new move not used elsewhere; once all motorcycle parts are recovered, Chester rides out of the zoo to Hip City, closing out a short playthrough.