If you asked me what cartoon character best represents me, I would say Garfield. We're both sarcastic, love lasagna, and hate Mondays. So when I got the opportunity to play the 3D platformer Garfield: Escape from Monday before its release on September 24, I just knew I had to see what OSome Studio has been working on.
Something told me I was going to experience a game that delivers on comfort, comedy, and a healthy dose of nostalgia. And that it did!
The story starts with Jon watching a cooking show hosted by Chef Monday, who commits a major culinary no-no: he adds vegetables to the lasagna. Naturally, that is an absolute crime in Garfield's eyes. After seeing that abomination, Garfield retreats to the kitchen and finds some lasagna in the refrigerator. He takes a bite only to discover his greatest fear has been realized - there are greens in the lasagna. Garfield passes out cold and wakes up in a dream controlled by Chef Monday, who is on a mission to force Garfield to like vegetables.
Now, Garfield must escape this horrible nightmare with the help of Jon and Odie, who pop in here and there to give some advice.
The plot is unserious and funny, with several cutscenes as you enter new worlds. The scenes can run a bit long, but you can skip them entirely to jump back into the action. I watched all of them, and it made me hate Chef Monday just as much as Garfield did!
Before you get into the groove of the game, you have to play a tutorial, and I'll be honest - it was rough. The default camera sensitivity felt too high, giving me a headache as I tried to maintain a steady view. Add in the fact that the visual palette is blindingly neon bright; I was overwhelmed. It is worth noting that you can also play on controller, which could help rectify, or at least reduce, some of these off-putting visual effects. For me on mouse and keyboard, however, it initially felt like I was experiencing vertigo with every swipe.
Thankfully, you can tweak the camera sensitivity in the settings menu, which made everything more bearable. Once I adjusted the controls, I could fully appreciate this vibrant fever dream. While I found it a small hurdle to overcome, this could prove troublesome for younger users. Although bright colors might make it approachable for kids, they are much less likely to troubleshoot default settings if the game makes them nauseous or overwhelmed. A simple configuration prompt or gentler default controls would go a long way in keeping its core target audience engaged right from the get-go.
Escape from Monday truly shines in its inventive costume abilities and imaginative levels, which fully lean into the dream-world setup. Throughout his journey, Garfield unlocks specialized outfits meant for specific worlds. In the farm world, he dons a puffy turkey suit that gives me extra airtime and lets him glide across wide gaps. In the Wild West world, Garfield wears a cowboy suit that lets him grapple to high ledges. My personal favorite was the surfer suit he got on the beach level, which allowed him to streak across water. Since the world was half summer paradise and half candyland, Garfield could grind on rails through pirate dens and underground caverns. It was definitely the standout level of the whole game.
Beyond the gliding and grappling, the combat and movement mechanics appear simple on paper; Garfield's moves basically revolve around him kicking enemies or jumping before smashing down, but a memorable boss fight with a giant, mecha mouse highlighted that the execution does carry some flaws. Combat mostly boils down to dodging incoming attacks and waiting for an opening to land the final blow, though as I alluded to above, it can get a bit confusing since some instructions aren't explicitly laid out.
For example, there aren't many indicators of when or where to hit the enemy bosses, which makes it difficult to figure out exactly what to do. There are also moments where you need to precisely time a jump or line up a grapple point while dodging hazards. For seasoned gamers, this is easy, but for kids, certain parts require a level of pattern recognition and hand-eye coordination.
Outside of combat, there's plenty to do across every level. I loved making sure I got every cheese wheel to keep Garfield's health bar topped off at three hearts, but it's also the completionist in me who hated leaving them behind. I also enjoyed collecting scattered lasagna, since it serves as currency to refurbish Jon's house in the real world. Whenever I got tired or dizzy of the platformer side of the game, I would head over to Jon's house to add furniture to the living room, kitchen, and more.
Fixing up and decorating Jon's house was an addictive side activity because I wanted to place every possible piece of furniture inside. But you'd be surprised - collecting lasagna to obtain the furniture is deceptively tricky. More often than not, I would finish a level only to discover I had missed one lasagna, which would force me to do the level all over again.
The cherry on top is that the game is full of Garfield's signature deadpan, sarcastic humor, and an unexpected amount of references to popular video games. In one scene, Garfield complains about being stuck in a video game dream and wishes he ended up in a "Kart" game instead, referencing Mario Kart. Another level is an obvious parody of Flappy Bird, a funny little departure from the usual mechanics.
Visually, Escape from Monday is a little bit of a sensory overload, and it took some time to adapt to the shock of Garfield's bright dream world. It's vibrant, neon-drenched, and everything pops, so if you're sensitive to bright colors, it might strain your eyes at first. From a performance standpoint, I didn't experience any technical issues during my PC playthrough, including frame drops. Even when the screen filled with clouds, cheese wheels, and enemies, I didn't notice any stutters. Aside from the initial camera sensitivity, Escape from Monday held up well, with all levels and character models rendering without a hiccup.
Ultimately, Garfield: Escape From Monday isn't trying to be a groundbreaking, genre-defining game, and that was evident throughout my time with it. It's a solid, enjoyable platformer with some rough edges. On one hand, it's colorful, funny, and stands out thanks to its suit abilities and satisfying house-decorating side quests. However, the initial eye strain from the neon graphics and the dizzying camera sensitivity make it hard to click with the game immediately. Additionally, the vague objective cues hold it back from being great. If not for those little hiccups, it would have been a peak cozy game. I can't imagine spending several hours on it, but if you love platformers with a touch of humor, it remains a great way to pass the time without making you sweat or stress.
For more like this, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com, the best website for gaming news, reviews, features, and guides.