The game’s structure is odd and quite interesting, and the actual levels are only a part of the big picture. But with some practice the moves are easy to pull off besides, the slight difficulty of the controls does give the game some of the challenge it dearly lacks. Admittedly, the close-range move is not always effective, especially against small flying enemies such as birds and bats some sections also require precise timing and lead to many missed tries. All three buttons of the original Genesis controller are used: one for jumping, one for a close-range attack, and the other for throwing projectiles that are found in each stage. The play control might seem difficult at first, but it is coherent: after all, you play as a big, nonchalant cat! Repeated playing should familiarize you with Garfield’s peculiarities (how he reacts to stop-and-gos, his jumping abilities, etc.). The sound effect heard when Garfield takes a hit is bizarre indeed…Surprisingly for such a game, there are no voice samples. My favorite level visually and aurally is the first, Count Slobula: the organ-driven music is at once haunting, creepy and sarcastic. The music is solid and fits in well with the stages’ contrasting environments. The cartoon’s deadpan humor has been kept intact and shines throughout: Garfield adapts to the various settings with amusing touches – he wears a cape in the vampire-themed level, he has fangs in the prehistoric stage he wears a hat in level four, etc. Garfield himself seamlessly crosses over in this video game debut: he is well-sized, smoothly animated and has a vast set of moves at his disposition, from his various attacks to his unique gestures as he pushes blocks/rocks, looks around or simply stands still. In the first level, a dark, vampire-themed stage, you spend time both on the ground and in beautifully rendered caves, as you walk on coffins and hang from tongues (!) the fifth, ‘Egyptian’ level also has its share of striking colors and effects. For example, there is even a black-and-white stage, a la Mickey Mania. Every level has its own theme and atmosphere. The characters, backgrounds and colors are all excellent. The game came out in late-1995, and makes judicious use of the Genesis’ capabilities. Level one is a Castlevania-like trip in haunted territory level two takes place near the sea level 3 in prehistoric times level four in the busy streets and swamps of a city level five in Egypt. He tries to piece it back together, but as soon as he the late-night broadcast begins, he is sucked into the TV and thrown in a variety of midnight-movie inspired settings. The storyline is very simple but promising: as he watches TV one evening, Garfield is surprised by the sudden barking of his friend Odie and accidentally falls on the TV set, which is instantly broken. ![]() The game is far too short and easy, but it has enough quirky features and charm to keep retro gamers coming back for more. As I tried the game for a first time, I could see where the reviewers were coming from, but I did not agree with their assessment, especially when I beat the game a few hours after my very first try. Reading their comments made me expect impressive graphics, but overly difficult and frustrating gameplay. ![]() After I brought the game home, I got out some old EGM magazines since I remembered them reviewing Garfield back in 1995. When I spotted a boxed copy of Garfield: Caught in the Act selling for about $6, I chose to buy it. Genre: Platformer Developer: Paws Publisher: Sega Enterprises Players: 1 Released: 1995
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