Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
© Game Factory

Mania Grade: C-
Platform: NDS
ESRB: E
Genre: Platforming
Players: 1
Online: No
Developer: Asobo Studio
Publisher: Game Factory
Graphics: B-
Sound: C
Gameplay: C-
Replay: D
Fun Factor: C-

Buy it now!

Related Links

1

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties

Garfield has been a humorous cat longer than I have been alive, and it started way back in print. The comic strip mainly features the characters John Arbuckle, Odie, and Garfield, but over the course of time, it has become the one of the most popular strips in the entire world. It has had an animated cartoon show, a Guinness world record, over 40 books, and a relentless following even to today. Probably the best thing about the strip though is that it does not offend anyone, even though it features a morbidly obese cat that does not exercise. Another important thing to mention is that the cartoon has transcended the boundaries from a cartoon to a live action movie. It was such a success that a second movie was released, which brings us to this game. 

Straight up, this is a game based upon a movie. Most movie games are quick collaborations in hopes to cash in on the franchise. I would like to say that this game was made specifically for the fans rather than making money, but alas that is not the case. I will further say that this is not a fantastic game, nor is it a must buy, but I am sure that you could have guessed that from my last sentence. In truth, this game is a platformer with the main character being Garfield, which seems odd considering the stigma behind him from the strip. Mainly the whole idea of Garfield is that he is an incredibly lazy cat, whom eats a lot. 

The game’s storyline is different from the movie. The goal in the game is to collect all the food possible on the map, then move on to the next. Eventually you will make to the end of the game, meet the king cat, and feast on lasagne. Getting to the end of the game requires going through many different levels, which vary fairly well. My personal question is if Garfield would do something like this to get food, with having to jump from the top of buildings, and land on the ground. Overall, it is what you can expect from most movie games, minus the mini-games. 

This is a standard platformer game for the DS. There are some fairly large levels to navigate through, but they are pretty easy. Everything is in 3D, and there is a rotating camera, which shifts as you do. The camera is on a set track though, depending on your path, so you will unable to adjusting it. This is not a problem though, since the camera is set up in the best place to move around with. Beyond that, the graphics of the levels are decent, nothing to write home about, but I guess the saving grace is that they are in 3D. 

For navigating your character, of course you have the ability to jump. You can jump on mattresses or giant mushrooms to get extra height, and the longer you remain on them, the higher you go. You have the ability to walk, rather than run, which is only useful for one part of the game. Oddly this part of the game is very sort, and all you need to sneak past bats without waking them up. You finally have the ability to breathe into the microphone to have Garfield meow on screen, and possibly interact with the nearby area. For the bottom screen, you can use the stylus in certain areas to change your view to first person, but only to examine nearby areas. This is also used as a level in itself, just to figure out where your next level will be. Secondly you will use the stylus to choose which direction to go in, when given the option. This is mainly used later on in a maze level, but it is also used earlier in the game. 

The game is also over fairly quickly, where it will take 2-3 hours to complete the story mode. You have the choice to return to the previous levels and do a time trial, while collecting all of the food that you missed. Other than that, the game is over pretty quickly. Most adults will not enjoy it too much, but you may have a chance to entertain children. Kids may even end up feeling like a genius for completing the levels quickly. 

In the end, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is a decent enough game. For a movie game, it could have just been filled with a bunch of mini-games, so thankfully is not. I would have loved to see some humour in the game, considering the movie is a comedy. I would have also liked to see some voice clips, or something to tie the game more into the movie. In the end, while it was not perfect, the game provided a decent platforming experience. If your kids liked the second movie, they should liked this game as well. All and all, Captain Gordon gives Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties a C-. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com