Nostalgia can be a bitch.

When I think back to all the time I wasted in front of a television watching cartoons (when I wasn’t wasting time playing Atari 2600 or NES), I think back to all these fond memories I have for the 80′s. Smurfs, Snorks, Shirt Tales, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Dungeons & Dragons… the list really does go on and on.

My favorite, though, was Inspector Gadget. At a young age, I also grew very appreciative of 60′s television shows. Get Smart was, and still is, one of my favorites. Don Adams, Maxwell Smart himself, voicing a loving, cyborg superspy uncle who bumbles his way through show after show while his niece, Penny, and dog, Brain, actually save the day? I loved it. Kids loved it. Parents who grew up watching Get Smart loved it.

Brain saves the day.

Finding this app for free in the App Store kind of shocked me. I figured, like so many licensed games I’ve had to trudge through in the past because I am that consumer-whore, the game would suck. However, free is free, so I gave it a shot while keeping my expectations low.

Inspector Gadget’s M.A.D. Dash is an aptly-named endless runner. I am still pretty new to the genre (which itself is relatively new), but I’ve found that it often provides a good, quick pick-up-and-play sessions for short burst gaming. You are Inspector Gadget and it is your job to save Penny from the nefarious M.A.D. leader,  Dr. Claw. Along the way, you will use your go-go-gadgets to jump from building to building as you try to catch up to Dr. Claw at increasingly high speeds while avoiding pitfalls, banana peels, trains, and the evil doctor himself.

This was what I knew before starting the game. Upon boot, I was greeted by the siren… the dum badum badum… the actual theme song. I started the game. I heard Don Adams’ voice, Penny yelling for help, and Dr. Claw laughing as he jets away with Penny in a cage. As I was playing, the theme song continues. Controls are perfect. Touch to jump. The longer you touch, the higher you jump. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to touch a second time to activate his gadgets. Controls are simple and precise.

A big, red button is always bad news. ALWAYS.

So, I collect gadget coins as the speed and my score multiplier increase. Hit a banana peel and you lose momentum and your multiplier. Same for if you die. You have three chances (though you can increase it through gadget coins to four) to get as many points as you can. It is very simple, honestly.

Gadget coins unlock many different things, from a retina display download (for crisper visuals) to power-ups. Better yet, there are additional extras for the fans out there. You can unlock streaming videos of the show itself and, though it will take about a week to get to your inbox, purchase a free ringtone. You can also unlock different game modes. If you don’t want to play to unlock, you can also pay to unlock. It’s not necessary, but maybe it’d be nice to toss some cash towards developer XMG Studios.

Not everything is good, though. Some power-ups that you purchases are completely ineffective. I’ve died because I collected a power-up more than one time, especially the inflatable balloon power-up that seems to constantly wear off right as I’m level with some power lines. Worse yet, you have to collect an icon to activate these power-ups making them more of a hassle than an actual power-up.

Additionally, the game looks great when going slow. However, it becomes nearly impossible to focus later as the speed increases. My eyes are absolutely exhausted after two or three games. I’ve learned to play while not really focusing on the screen. I love the game and enjoy it, but something about the colors and the blur just overwhelm me. Again, the game is made for short bursts. I may just be overly sensitive, but it reminded me of trying to play Sonic the Hedgehog on a Tiger Electronics Game.com… except that this really made my eyes feel like the were going to bleed.

I know that should be a major complaint. However, I’m making an exception this time. The game is fun, though not as good as Tiny Wings, and has so much extra love for the fans that I cannot help but recommend a pick-up. I am especially motion-sensitive, anyway, so I think what hinders me from really loving the game will be a non-factor for many players out there. My co-workers don’t seem to have the troubles that I do when playing.

Some of my fondest childhood memories have come back to haunt me. As I watch Fraggle Rock and wonder why the hell I ever watched Fraggle Rock, I am reminded that children are stupid and will watch almost anything aside from the news.

Again, nostalgia can be a bitch. Can be. It’s not this time. I trusted my nostalgia wouldn’t let me down. What I didn’t know was how well the game would play to my nostalgia. How it would embrace my nostalgia. How it would gently stroke my nostalgia up and down while I oohed and aahed until I couldn’t take it anymore and screamed its name. Inspector Gadget! Woohoo!

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Platform: iOS

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