A demo of a previously unreleased (and unannounced) Gex spinoff has surfaced online, and we've got a lot of questions.
Gex Jr. is a previously unreleased spin-off of the Gex series for PlayStation 1, focusing on the son of the wise gecko. This spin-off was never announced, however, so it remained a well-hidden secret until recently, when user justz00t posted a demo of the game on Hidden Palace (via Kotaku).
The Gex Jr. demo sees Gex's descendants make their way through what appears to be a TV/movie themed level, which could be set in The Media Dimension from the original trilogy, and collect soda cans.
The colorful platform level has a "media museum" sign on it and TVs are scattered everywhere, showing blurry images, Gex himself, and a boy's face (which we can only assume is that of the developers). The level also features TV controllers revolving around exploding lightning bolts and some sort of popcorn machine platform. Check it out below:
Like his father, Gex Jr. seems to have a love of pop culture references, featuring lines from TV shows and movies that were popular at the time, like Star Wars, Blues Clues, and Who Wants to Be. to Millionaire (construction is from 2001).
The game's story remains a mystery for now and the raw demo is short, consisting of only one level, but it's enough to make us want a Gex game we've never had.
What happened?
It appears that developer Crystal Dynamics removed Gex Jr., and this demo remains the only (albeit short) playable version of the game. It's unclear why Gex Jr. was removed, or what the overall plan was for the game, leaving us with more questions than answers about the fallout from Gex.
But it certainly makes us want a return from Gex. The last entry in the original Gex trilogy released in 1999, it's been 23 years since the fluid Geko last appeared on our consoles. We could still see the return of the pop culture-loving lizard, however, as Square Enix (which now owns Crystal Dynamics) registered the name "Gex" as a trademark in late 2021, sparking rumors of a reboot of the series could be at stake. .
Additionally, Gex could be introduced to a whole new generation through Sony's revamped PS Plus subscription, which will allow its premium tier subscribers to play a library of retro PlayStation games. Although the library's lineup hasn't been confirmed, we're certainly hoping that the original Gex trilogy will be a part of it.
TRG has contacted Square Enix for comment.