Inspector Waffles Preview: Curiosity Killed Fluffy

The gesture of tipping a hat goes to any developer/publisher that leaves their demos free to be played after a festival. That tipping salute goes to one man studio, Goloso Games, creator of Inspector Waffles – a point and click, similar to The Darkside Detective’s design.

I downloaded it during the Steam Game Festival but was overwhelmed by a plethora of genres; on top of that, there are some truly great games these past few weeks, and Inspector Waffles was in the pile.

Uninstalling all of those games that had switched to ‘purchase’ rather than play (unlike politicians, they can’t be bought as they aren’t available yet), it was a delight to see this available. So, what are the first impressions?

Inspector Waffles Preview

At first, I thought the artwork was nice – not enough to double take in that sea of games to explore, but now there’s time to take a sip of tea and a pause; yes, very nice,

After a brief intro using the same art style, the game shifted to a pixel art approach. This would usually be the catalyst for a yawn as I’m a little exhausted with this aesthetic from Nintendo Switch titles. Still, in Inspector Waffles’ case, it got a big ol’ hug, and while the initial artwork was nice and all, I much preferred this design choice.

While typing up this praise for the eyeballs, the game was in dialogue limbo, awaiting my interaction. During this time the music continued to play a mixture of noir and similar hooks to the original The Secret of Monkey Island soundtrack – it was perfectly suited.

The game? You play the titular Inspector Waffles; a talking cat – imagine that, though he’s a detective, he wasn’t wearing a hat. Arriving at the scene of a crime, he’s informed by Chief Patches of the homicide: Fluffy, the boss of Box Furniture, was dead.

Don’t Forget To Call Your Mum

Waffles’ uniqueness comes elsewhere: his mother. A former ex-inspector, and no doubt a legend. He lives a bit in her shadow and seeks to outdo that by solving these investigations by himself.

You play the titular Inspector Waffles; a talking cat – imagine that, though he’s a detective, he wasn’t wearing a hat.

But other than being the top kitty for the job, he’s a bit of a kleptomaniac – half-inching skateboard wheels and books at the scene of a crime. Still, it’s all point and click territory where if it ain’t bolted down… Dem’s da rules.

Like any good detective, Inspector Waffles uses a notebook for any clues and keeps you on track. Despite being a veteran adventurer, I hit a hurdle and struggled to think outside of the box. After consulting my clues, it was time to give Mum a call.

This is essentially a hint system, and having only used it once, I felt more of a solution as the answer was right under my nose – as is often the case with the genre. Problem solved, my attention was drawn to the stupidity of Chief Patches.

A Nice Glass Of Nostalgia

A personal thought more than anything, but Inspector Waffles was a bit like one of those understated adventure games you’d pick up on the off chance and end up indulging like it was a big bar of white chocolate, only you don’t feel remotely sick. And, on the contrary, you want more.

That’s how the demo finished for me: wanting more. The jazz club score returned, and I thought back to my actions in this brief investigation, wondering how I could prolong it. Probably by playing the full game. 

It’s not too long of a wait – the 23rd of March, which will be here in no time. Still, it’s like watching an episode of American Gods and then having to wait a whole week for the continuation. Oh, wait – is it only me who is still watching it?

Wishlist Inspector Waffles now!