Garfield: Caught in the Act

Garfield: Caught in the Act
File:406765-garfield large.jpg
Developer(s)	Sega, Point of View, Inc. (PC version)
Publisher(s)	Sega
Designer(s)	Michael Chung, Art Wong (lead design), Michael Fernie (programming)
Platform(s)	Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Computer
Release date(s)	October 31 1995 (Mega Drive/Genesis), March 1996 (Computer)
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A) ELSPA: 3+
Media	16 megabit cartridge, CD-ROM
Input methods	Control pad, Keyboard

Garfield: Caught in the Act is a platform game by Sega. It was originally released in 1995 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. An 8-bit version was also released for the Game Gear handheld, and the 16-bit version was later ported to the PC.

Story

Odie scares Garfield while watching Television, and he ends up falling on the TV. In a rushed effort to repair the TV before Jon catches them, Garfield and Odie attempt to put the banged up and broken pieces together. They did actually put something together, but it was far from being a real television. As Garfield throws away the spare pieces, they become an electronic monster, Glitch. The monster transports Garfield into the TV. Now, Garfield has to defeat the monster and make his way out.

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 wich resembles a Whac-A-Mole game, and one which Garfield flies trough 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

Mega Drive/Genesis

Count Slobula's Castle

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.

Revenge of Orangebeard

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

Cave Cat 3,000,000 BC

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.

Catsablanca

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 neighbour 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.

The Curse of Cleofatra

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

Enemies:

• Mummified mice that follow you
• Bats
• Mummies behind tombs using their large arms to swipe at you
• Arlene statues that can cut you if you don't jump or duck at the right time.

Season Finale - Garfield faces the electronic monster, Glitch.

Sega Channel subscribers had access to Garfield: The Lost Levels. It is rumored to have featured at least three levels, amongst them Bonehead the Barbarian (a viking landscape) and Slobbin Hood (a Robin Hood-esque forest set), which were concepts deleted from the cartridge edition. Information is scarce on it, as it has yet to be recovered in playable form.[1]

Game Gear

The Game Gear version included reworked level layouts and some different enemies; the only level designs bearing a resemblance to the original are Revenge of Orangebeard, the first half of Count Slobula's Castle (which now includes an actual castle maze section) and the second half of Catsblanca (which now includes a vehicle section much like the unused train area seen in magazine previews). In this incarnation, Garfield does not have different outfits in each level. As there is only one attack button, Garfield will perform a short-range punch once throwing weapons are depleted. Garfield is able to walk and run in this version; simply hold a direction to walk, and tap and hold a direction twice for him to run. There are no invincibility items, but there are secret passwords for invincibility and infinite projectiles. There is only one type of bonus stage (accessed by finding an icon of Arlene's face in each level), in which you try to wreck everything in Jon's living room within a time limit to get an extra life. In the between-level segments, you do not take damage from the obstacles; instead, electricity teleports you back. The new final level takes place in the TV Land, except it is overflowing with enemies (some from previous channels). Two of the level themes exclusive to the Game Gear version were apparently based on two of the so-called Lost Levels, although this is not completely confirmed.

• 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

PC

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.

Cancelled 32X Port

A Sega 32X version of the game was planned for release, but was ultimately cancelled (along with many other potential 32X titles).