Don't get too excited, it's not what you think

Sep 17, 2015 14:53 GMT  ·  By

The first id Software game is coming to the Steam for Linux platform, after a very long wait, but it's not what you might think. It's actually Keen Dreams, a game developed by the studio all the way back in 1991.

Keen Dreams is part of the famous Commander Keen series and it's a classic 2D platforming game that also boasts a short story. The only reason I started the story in this manner is because I wanted everyone to feel the same kind of disappointment that I felt when I first heard the news.

There are a lot of id Software fans and they would love to get their hands on games like Doom 3 or Quake 4. They have the technology and the means to do it, but they don't. Their publisher, Bethesda Softworks, hasn't expressed any kind of interest in the Linux platform, SteamOS, and anything like it. If anything, they've gone out of their way to avoid having the conversation altogether.

Keen Dreams from id Software on Linux is a fluke

You might wonder why this game is launching on Steam for Linux. As it turns out, the Commander Keen still has a lot of fans and they put together crowdfunding campaign and managed to get their hands on the source code. The game went from there to Steam Greenlight and now it's finally landing on Steam for Linux.

"Billy Blaze, eight-year old genius, has just returned home after saving Earth from the Vorticons only to be confronted with a dinner made up of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mashed potato. Having chosen to eat ice-cream instead, he finds himself besieged that night by horrible dreams full of living vegetables," reads the synopsis on Steam. Granted, it's not all that far away from Doom 3, but at least it's for Linux.

The launch date for Keen Dreams is scheduled for September 30, so make sure that you mark that date in the calendar.

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