Developer: AIM Publisher: Hudson Soft Release: 1993 Genre: Platformer
Inspector Gadget. Now here is a cartoon I have not thought about in decades. Inspector Gadget was once one of the coolest cartoons of my childhood. The bumbling detective might have been an idiot but the array of gadgets in his body was awesome. And every child wanted a computer book like Penny. The concept practically writes itself for a video game. I am actually surprised it took so many years after the show was over for a game to materialize, you would think some publisher would have jumped on this license for the NES. Yet somehow despite everything I have just outlined the Inspector Gadget video game is a middling adventure where all of its elements have been done better elsewhere.
Penny has been kidnapped by Dr. Claw and his M.A.D. terrorists, prompting a worldwide journey for Inspector Gadget to get her back. Unlike the cartoon the game plays it a bit straight and lacks the humor that was central to the show. I guess you could say the stiff controls are a nod to the inspector’s bumbling roots but that is a stretch. There is nothing wrong with a serious take on Inspector Gadget, I just wish it were better.
The signature of the show was the various gadgets in the inspector’s bionic body. His primary weapons are his extendable limbs which allow you to keep your distance. This is key since you can only take two hits before death like Ghouls n’ Ghosts or the developers other work Fausette Amour. Most of the most popular gadgets from the show are present in some form. Plungers are stepping stools to climb walls, arrows are long range weapons, and the helicopter rotor allows you to glide briefly. Bombs can blow up some walls and the rare light will illuminate the few dark caves in the game. All gadgets use varying numbers of hats as ammo but the game provides plenty so it is rarely an issue.
The level design wants you to run free and experiment with the various gadgets and it is half successful at that. When it is clear what you need to proceed such as using plungers to scale walls or bombs to blow up the ground it feels great. But there are plenty of moments where it is unclear how to proceed. The extendable hand can grab rings to pull you up. But there are plenty of times where it is not as obvious and you waste precious time. Their implementation is also not good. Bombs have little range and do not make good weapons. Arrows fare a little better but also has their quirks. You cannot jump and shoot and they fly from your back, making aiming harder. I am still not 100% sure how to control the helicopter rotor properly either.
Aside from the haphazard implementation of items my main issue with Inspector Gadget is that it does the bare minimum to use the license and its various elements are done better in other games. Gadget does not control particularly well and so the platforming does not feel right. Dr. Claw and his various contraptions are a poor man’s version of Dr. Robotnik. If you like cool gadgets and platforming the various Goemon games have you covered. Do you want a worldwide adventure in various settings? Hell even Ardy Lightfoot does it better and that game is obscure. Beyond the window dressing of the Inspector and the brief interplay with the Chief this could be any other SNES platformer.
In spite of the sluggish feel Inspector Gadget remains an easy game. You will suffer cheap deaths here or there but the game provides plenty of opportunities to rack up extra lives. The two hit point system does add an element of challenge as extra coats to “restore” health are not common. But even with that I breezed through the game in a little over half an hour. I do not mind short games as long as they are memorable. But outside of the brief nostalgia of the license this one is forgettable.
In Closing
Inspector Gadget is not outright bad. But it is not necessarily good either. There is nothing about the game that stands out, from its gameplay to its graphics. It is as average as they come. You are better off replaying Donkey Kong Country or discovering a hidden gem like Magical Pop’n than playing this one.
