Did we truly expect Gollum to win the worst game of 2023 award? We underestimated Inspector Gadget Mad Time Party, published by Microids and developed by Smart Tale Games from Montpellier, France. As fans of Club Dorothé, we were excited to see this quirky ’80s/’90s character receive a video game adaptation, but it seems the trend of hastily produced Microids titles has struck again.
To begin with, the graphics appear reminiscent of those from the early PS2 era, at the dawn of 3D technology. It is so unusual that it can be seen as humorous in its outdatedness. Whether considering the character models of Inspector Gadget, Sophie, Chef Gontier, or Finot, none fit seamlessly within the environment. Take a look at the characters’ clothing; there is no sense of depth or dimensionality, with flat textures reminiscent of early 3D attempts. The environments are equally unimpressive – everything appears ugly and repetitive, pasted together without artistic cohesion, confined to an overly advertised open area of just about 100 square meters. Moreover, the game includes noticeable issues such as clipping, aliasing, and tearing, which detract from the overall experience. Notably absent is any mention of the outdated animations, lack of collision detection, or the stiff, skeletal rigidity in Inspector Gadget’s character movements. Additionally, this PS5 version is essentially an upscaled Switch release, enlarged for Sony’s console as it was on other platforms.
The outcome for the rest of the game is equally unsatisfactory. Firstly, it is marketed as a party game, which is a misjudgment. Who would want to play a party game featuring Inspector Gadget? Clearly, nobody does. There were numerous other options available, such as a platformer, which could have better utilized the character’s full potential. Instead, we are left with a Story mode that lasts an hour and a half, during which players must find limited points of interest in Metroville to trigger mini-games. In this Story mode, multiplayer functionality is non-existent; it can only be played against the computer. It is not until Challenge mode (which supports up to four players) that one can play with friends, but even then, after just thirty minutes of gameplay, there is a strong desire to turn off the console. How could anyone expect to find any interest in challenges as mundane as wandering through an unengaging Metroville? Activities such as knocking your opponent over, avoiding being hit by a car, randomly cutting wires to prevent explosions, memorizing symbols, finding art by chance, counting MAD agents, racing while dodging obstacles, pressing the right document quickly, and exchanging bombs before they explode offer nothing thrilling or even interesting, especially considering the poor gameplay mechanics.
Inspector Gadget Mad Time Party, published by Microids and developed by Smart Tale Games, has been recognized as one of the worst games of 2023. Despite initial excitement among fans for this ’80s/’90s character getting a video game adaptation, it appears that the shortcomings often associated with hastily produced Microids titles have reappeared in this release.
