Garfield: Caught in the Act

"Halt! Officer Odie orders you to stop and help!" This page is in serious need of a checkup! Once the criteria is met, remove the {{Checkup Required}} tag.

Overview

Gallery

• Main
• Genesis/Mega Drive
• Game Gear
• PC
• Garfield: The Lost Levels

Garfield: Caught in the Act is a platform game by Sega. It was originally released in 1995 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, but later had an 8-bit version released for the Sega Game Gear, and the 16-bit version ported to PC. Each platform had notable differences, each provided below in their respective categories.

Plot

While Garfield is watching television, Odie scares him and he ends up falling on the TV, breaking it. The two quickly try to reassemble it before Jon Arbuckle catches them. They end up with a crudely made television, leaving out a couple of spare parts. As Garfield throws away the spare pieces, they become an electronic monster known as Glitch, who transports Garfield into the TV. Garfield must travel through various films in order to defeat the monster and make his way out.

Garfield: Caught in the Act
Developer	SEGA Point of View, Inc. (PC)
Publisher	SEGA
Design	Michael Chung Art Wong
Programming	Michael Fernie
Release	October 31, 1995
Platforms	SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis Game Gear PC IBM PC
Genre	Platform
Mode	Single-player
Age Rating	ESRB: K-A ELSPA: 3+

The Sega Genesis and Mega Drive version of the game was the first to release, appearing on store shelves on October 31st, 1995.

Gameplay

The game is a platformer, with Garfield being able to attack enemies up close or throw objects at them (the close-range weapons and the objects thrown change between each level). There are also two special stages; one which resembles a Whac-A-Mole game, and one which Garfield flies through a tunnel, trying to grab Pookys for an extra life.

The following items are found in the game:

• Hamburger and Pizza - recover health
• Cup of coffee (named Java in the manual) - invincibility
• Pooky- Garfield's teddy bear. Acts like a checkpoint, to which Garfield will return if he loses a life.
• Mallet - unlock the "Whack-a-mole" bonus round.
• Garfield heads - earns an extra life.

Levels

• Count Slobula's Castle
• Revenge of Orangebeard
• Cave Cat 3,000,000 BC
• Catsablanca
• The Curse of Cleofatra
• Season Finale

A horror film level, set in a graveyard. Garfield hits with a torch and throws skulls, and is wearing a cloak. The boss, Count Slobula, is Odie as a flying vampire.

Starting screen

Enemies:

• Cat skeletons that throw bones
• Ghosts that follow Garfield
• Bats which are almost invisible in the dark.

==

A pirate film set. The weapons are a wooden sword and bombs. Garfield wears a pirate's hat in this level. The boss is a skeleton that throws bones.

Enemies:

• Banana-throwing monkeys
• Skeleton pirates
• Jumping biting plants
• Bats
• Flying fanged chickens that fly and bite

'

Stone Age level similar to the "Cave Cat" segment of Garfield: His 9 Lives, with a saber-tooth Garfield, fire-spitting mice, aggressive cavemen, and the end boss is "Great Bob" (a green, saber-toothed Odie). The weapons are a huge bone (club) and fish spine.

Enemies:

• Fire-breathing mice
• Crabs with large claws
• Pteranodons that drop eggs
• Cavemen with bone-clubs
• Odie-shaped thunder clouds.
• A goldfish which is only used as a platform.

'

A film noir set. The weapons are a newspaper and cans. The boss is a bomb-throwing dog.

Enemies:

• Grumpy old men that resemble Jon's neighbor Hubert, who throw out objects out the window.
• Stray cats that jump out of the trash can
• Bulldogs behind fences
• Canaries that are only above buildings.

'

A maze level, set in an Egyptian pyramid. The weapons are a torch (that also lights candles) and ankhs. The boss is a sphinx shaped like Jon.

Enemies:

• Mummified mice that follow the player
• Bats
• Mummies behind tombs using their large arms to swipe at the player
• Arlene statues that can cut the player unless one jumps or ducks at the right time.

Season Finale - Garfield faces the electronic monster, Glitch.

The 8-bit version of the game was released in 1995. This version of the game is largely different from its 16-bit counterpart, sharing the same storyline and many of the same level concepts (plus two new levels).

It was published by Novotrade International (now Appaloosa Interactive).

Levels

• Cave Cat 3,000,000 B.C.
• The Curse of Cleofatra
• Bonehead the Barbarian
• Count Slobula's Castle
• Revenge of Orangebeard
• Slobbin Hood
• Catsablanca
• Television Wasteland

Characters

• Garfield
• Odie
• Pooky (Password character and checkpoint icon)
• Arlene (Password character and bonus icon)
• Jon (Password character)
• Stretch (Password character)
• Irma (Password character)
• Squeak (Password character)

Enemies

• Fire Breathing Mice
• Cavemen (resembling Jon)
• Dogs
• Pterodactyl
• Snakes
• Mummies
• Mice
• Snakes in Jars
• Spiders
• Ghosts
• Penguins
• Birds
• Viking Women
• Owls
• Rats
• Alligators
• Snapping Plants
• Chimps
• Chickens
• Knights
• Nest Birds
• Hubert
• Alley Cats
• Sewer Patrol Guards
• Mini-Glitches

Bosses

• Great Bob
• Cleofatra
• Viking Man
• Vampires/Bats
• Skeleton
• Fortress
• Dog
• Glitch

Differences from the 16-Bit Versions

• Controls now include a dash function, activated by double-tapping the control pad, and one button for both of Garfield’s attacks. The short-range attack will be used if Garfield is out of ammo or close to a target.
• The opening sequence includes additional scenes.
• The password screen is accessible at the beginning of gameplay, located on the other side of the first level entrance.
• Garfield does not wear costumes for each level.
• Levels from the Mega Drive/Genesis have similar designs and some common enemies (including bosses), but different setups and mostly new enemies.
• Two new levels- Bonehead the Barbarian and Slobbin Hood- are included.
• The final level is renamed from Season Finale to Television Wasteland. It includes a section with various enemies (mostly ones from previous levels) and obstacles to deal with before the final boss fight (which is different from the 16-bit version).
• The order of levels is arranged similarly to the PC version.
• Although remote controls are still used to exit the level after defeating the boss, batteries are used to transport from one part of a level to another.
• Both bonus levels from the 16-bit versions are replaced by one where the player destroys things in Jon’s living room to earn an extra life. It is accessed by collecting a head icon of Arlene.
• Pizza items are featured as an entire pie, rather than a slice.
• There are no invincibility items.
• In the main lobby segments, rather than lose health, touching obstacles will cause Garfield to be taken back to the last spot where he arrived.
• The background music compositions are different.

Trivia

• When paused, the game will display a screen similar to a comic strip panel. Garfield is shown napping in bed next to an alarm clock, with “GAME PAUSED” featured as a thought balloon from Garfield. The lives section of the HUD remains on the upper right corner. When the player resumes gameplay, the clock will ring, waking up Garfield and removing the thought balloon.
• "Bonehead the Barbarian" was a name Garfield used to refer to Rick Deltoid.

The PC version is also known as simply Garfield (and with the tagline "Garfield in TV land!" on the box art, which is said to be the subtitle of the canceled Sega 32X version that would have supposedly contained the Lost Levels). The game is virtually a direct port of the original release, with a few key differences. For instance, it contains a remastered CD-quality soundtrack. Like the Game Gear version, the levels are presented in chronological order (from the past to the future). There is also another unique final level that replaces the Season Finale door. The PC demo only included half of Cave Cat 3,000,000 BC and The Curse of Cleofatra. In the full game, the levels are:

• Cave Cat 3,000,000 BC
• The Curse of Cleofatra
• Count Slobula's Castle
• Revenge of Orangebeard
• Catsablanca
• Alien Landscape - a sci-fi set which was a world removed late in the original development. The weapons are a laser sword and rockets. Enemies include little UFOs that shoot and robotic poodles with an Alien-esque "bear-trap" second mouth. The boss is a flying saucer, after which the player has one last chance for bonus rounds - Garfield is then taken directly to the Glitch battle.

Sonic and Garfield Pack

In 1999, the PC version was released as part of the Sonic and Garfield Pack, which also included the Sonic and Knuckles Collection, a compilation of PC versions of Sonic the Hedgehog games originally released on the Sega Genesis, and Baku Baku Animal, an arcade game.

Levels

Garfield: The Lost Levels is a currently lost version of Garfield: Caught in the Act that supposedly had levels that were originally cut from the game. Magazines and some merchandise have proven that 16-bit versions of the cut levels existed, and several people have testified to its existence, though the cartridge and ROM's current whereabouts are unknown.

History

Sega Channel

In December 1994, Sega opened the Sega Channel, a pay-to-play service on the Genesis in which subscribers could access and download Genesis games, play demos and access cheats through an adapter. The lineup of games used to change bi-weekly to monthly, in order to give subscribers a more varied experience. Each game was put into a specific category, with the Test Drives having upcoming and newly released titles.

Though some American Sega Channel schedules are not available, The Lost Levels has three known appearances on the service:

• February 1st, 1996 in the Test Drives
• April 25th, 1997 in the Family Room
• August 15th, 1997 in the Family Room

As the game first appeared in the Test Drives category, that has been accepted as its first public appearance. Similarly to the American Sega Channel schedules, a couple of UK are missing and only one appearance of The Lost Levels is known of on August 1st, 1997 in the Family Room .

Content Removed

Bonehead the Barbarian

Bonehead the Barbarian was featured only in the Game Gear version of the game.

Slobbin Hood

Slobbin Hood was featured only in the Game Gear version of the game.

Alien Landscape

Alien Landscape was featured only in the PC version of the game.

Rome Level

A t-shirt used as merchandise for the game has shown that a level set in Ancient Rome was possibly planned.

Catsablanca Train Sequence

Featured on no other platforms, there was apparently a train segment in the Casablanca level that was supposed to be featured on the Sega Genesis version, but was ultimately cut. It is assumed that it was featured on the Lost Levels.

External Links

• https://archive.org/stream/GamePro_Issue_077_December_1995#page/n45

References

Garfield Video & Mobile Games

1980s "Garfield, Eat Your Words" "Garfield Double Dares" "Create With Garfield" "Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal" "Garfield Trivia Game" "A Week of Garfield" "Garfield: Winter's Tail" 1990s "Garfield (Konami handheld)" "Garfield Labyrinth" "Garfield: Caught in the Act" "Scholastic's Comic Book Maker Featuring Garfield" "Garfield’s Mad About Cats" 2000s "Garfield's Typing Pal" "Garfield (2004)" "Garfield: The Search for Pooky" "Garfield: Saving Arlene" "Garfield and His Nine Lives" "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" (Consoles) (Handheld) "Garfield's Nightmare" "Garfield: Lasagna World Tour" "Garfield's Fun Fest" "Garfield Gets Real" 2010s "Garfield's Flipping Mad" "Garfield Bird Crazy" "The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna" "My Puzzles with Garfield" "Garfield's Diner" "Garfield's Defense" "Garfield's Diner: Hawaii" "Garfield's Gem" "Garfield's Defense 2: The Food Invaders Strike Back" "Garfield's Escape" "Garfield Coins" "Garfield Zombie Defense" "Garfield's Pet Hospital" "Garfield Cookie Dozer" "Talking Garfield" "Garfield’s Wild Ride" "Garfield Cookie Dozer" "Garfield Kart" "Garfield: Survival of the Fattest" "Garfield: My BIG FAT Diet" "Garfield Kart - Furious Racing" 2020s "Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl" "Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis" "Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway" "Garfield: Lasagna Party" "Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2" "Nickverse" Unreleased games "Garfield (Atari 2600)" "Atari 5200 video game" "Garfield in TV Land" (Sega 32X version of "Caught in the Act") "Garfield: Bound for Home"