Inspector Gadget – Mad Time Party Is a Nostalgic Party Game with Authentic Cartoon Visuals

Publisher Microids and developer Smart Tale are going all in on nostalgia with Inspector Gadget – Mad Time Party, a true-to-the-source-material party game that is set to come to PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 in fall 2023. Skeptics who are quick to write off this tie-in game might want to at least see what the spinoff has to offer. Screenshots of the video game reveal that it features an art style that channels the original Inspector Gadget cartoons. Some images certainly look better than others, but the effort is at least worth praising.

Inspector Gadget – Mad Time Party will share more in common with the cartoon than its art style. You can join up to three friends and stroll through familiar environments while on their quest to stop Dr. Claw, and you’ll run into some familiar faces too. While Chief Quimby and Penny can both be found in Metro City, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be featured as playable characters. Instead, it looks like players can choose from some of Inspector Gadget’s ancestors who have been accidentally brought to the future.

Inspector Gadget – Mad Time Party features 16 mini-games inspired by the greater Inspector Gadget universe. Additionally, the game’s soundtrack is composed by Tanis Chalopin, the daughter of Inspector Gadget creator Jean Chalopin. It’s a full-circle video game that seems to be not only for Inspector Gadget fans but those in need of a little nostalgia, too. For more on Mad Time Party, you can read the summary and check out the screenshots below:

Metro City has fallen into the hands of the evil Dr. Claw and his M.A.D. agents. To save the city, Inspector Gadget must travel into the past using a time machine. Unfortunately, it breaks down and his ancestors find themselves teleported to the present. Your mission: Explore Metro City and compete with your ancestors to collect the time machine’s missing parts. You will need to complete mini-games to unlock the bolts needed to repair the machine. Play against three Gadget’s ancestors to earn the bolts.