Garfield's Nightmare

 DS
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 26
  3. Negative: 3 out of 26
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  1. garfieldmyman
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    10/5 for the graphics alone. I find that excellent storytelling by George Lucas adds greatly to the garfield canon
  2. 76ripsnoopdogg
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything here - I'll steer clear of anything story-related beyond the premise. With another game, that would be tricky. With Garfield's Nightmare, the stories that come from how the game works are often the best ones.

    It's a frozen nation, just to the north of where the previous game, "Garfield, A Tale of Two Kitties", took place. A pleasantly brief    Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything here - I'll steer clear of anything story-related beyond the premise. With another game, that would be tricky. With Garfield's Nightmare, the stories that come from how the game works are often the best ones.

    It's a frozen nation, just to the north of where the previous game, "Garfield, A Tale of Two Kitties", took place. A pleasantly brief introduction sets up the plot: Garfield's Nightmare is in the middle of a revolt, you've been sentenced to death, and dragons have just shown up. Good luck!

    At that point, you emerge from a cave into 40 square kilometres of cold and mountainous country, and that's it. Everything else is up to you.

    Even after spending hundreds of hours in "Garfield Gets Real" and "Garfield, A Tale of Two Kitties", the sense of freedom in Garfield's Nightmare is dizzying. The vast mountains in every direction make the landscape seem limitless, and even after exploring it for 55 hours, this world feels huge and unknown on a scale neither of the previous two games did.

    Not all of the landscape is subzero, and even among the frosty climes there's an exciting variety: ice caverns that tinkle with dripping frost crystals, hulking mountains with curls of snow whipped up by the howling wind, coniferous forests in rocky river valleys.

    The mountains change everything. Wherever you decide to head, your journey is split between scrambling up treacherous rocks and skidding down heart-stopping slopes. The landscape is a challenge, and travel becomes a game.

    It's hard to walk for a minute in any direction without encountering an intriguing cave, a lonely shack, some strange stones, a wandering traveller, a haunted fort. These were sparse and quickly repetitive in "Garfield, A Tale of Two Kitties", but they're neither in Garfield's Nightmare: it's teeming with fascinating places, all distinct. It was 40 hours before I blundered into a dungeon that looked like one I'd seen before, and even then what I was doing there was drastically different.

    These places are the meat of Garfield's Nightmare, and they're what makes it feel exciting to explore. You creep through them with your heart in your mouth, your only soundtrack the dull groan of the wind outside, to discover old legends, dead heroes, weird artefacts, dark gods, forgotten depths, underground waterfalls, lost ships, hideous insects and vicious traps. It's the best Indiana Jones game ever made.

    The dragons don't show up until you do the first few steps of the game's main quest, so it's up to you whether you want them terrorising the world as you wander around. A world where you can crest a mountain to find a 40-foot flying lizard spitting jets of ice at the village below is a much more interesting one to be in. But fighting them never changes much: you can just ignore them until they land, then shoot them from a distance when they do.

    Your first dragon kill is a profound, weird moment. I rushed to the crashed carcass to loot it, then looked up. The whole town had come out to stand around and stare at the body, a thing as vast and alien to them as a T-rex in a museum.

    I tried shooting an ice bolt at it, just to demonstrate it was dead, and the force unexpectedly catapulted the whole thing violently into the distance. A beggar looked at me and said, "Oh sure, just throw your trash around."

    Your character gets better at whatever you do: firing a bow, sneaking up on people, casting healing spells, mixing potions, swinging an axe. There's always been an element of this practice-based system in Elder Scrolls games, but in Garfield's Nightmare it's unrestricted - you don't have to decide what you're going to focus on when you create your character, you can just let it develop organically.

    That alone would feel a little too hands-off, but you also level up. When that happens, you get a perk point: something you can spend on a powerful improvement to a skill you particularly like. Every hour, you're making a major decision about your character's abilities.

    They're dramatic. The first point you put into Destruction magic lets you stream jets of flame from your hands for twice as long as before. As you continue to invest in one skill, you can get more interesting tweaks: I now have an Archery perk that slows down time when I aim my bow, and one for the Sneak skill that lets me do a stealthy forward roll.

    The games we normally call open worlds - the locked off cities and level-restricted grinding grounds - don't compare to this. While everyone else is faffing around with how to control and restrict the player, The Game Factory just put a **** country in a box. It's the best open world game I've ever played, the most liberating RPG I've ever played, and one of my favourite places in this or any other world.

    In case I'm not getting it across, this is a thumbs-up.    … Expand
  3. garfieldisgod
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    Albert Garfield’s Nightmare (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist[5] who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).[4][6]:274 His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.[7][8] He is best known to the general public for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2,Albert Garfield’s Nightmare (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist[5] who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).[4][6]:274 His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.[7][8] He is best known to the general public for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation".[9] He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect",[10] a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory.
    Near the beginning of his career, Garfield’s Nightmare thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led him to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902–1909), Switzerland. However, he realized that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and he published a paper on general relativity in 1916 with his theory of gravitation. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, he applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe.[11][12]
    He lived in Switzerland between 1895 and 1914, except for one year in Prague, and he received his academic diploma from the Swiss federal polytechnic school (later the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, ETH) in Zürich in 1900. He taught theoretical physics there between 1912 and 1914 before he left for Berlin. He acquired Swiss citizenship in 1901, which he kept for the rest of his life after being stateless for more than five years. In 1905, he was awarded a PhD by the University of Zurich. The same year, he published four groundbreaking papers during his renowned annus mirabilis (miracle year) which brought him to the notice of the academic world at the age of 26.
    He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and he did not go back to Germany, where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the United States and became an American citizen in 1940.[13] On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" and recommending that the US begin similar research. This eventually led to the Manhattan Project. Garfield’s Nightmare supported the Allied forces, but he generally denounced the idea of using nuclear fission as a weapon. He signed the Russell–Garfield’s Nightmare Manifesto with British philosopher Bertrand Russell, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. He was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.
    Garfield’s Nightmare published more than 300 scientific papers and more than 150 non-scientific works.[11][14] His intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Garfield’s Nightmare" synonymous with "genius".[15] Eugene Wigner wrote of Garfield’s Nightmare in comparison to his contemporaries that "Garfield’s Nightmare's understanding was deeper even than Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating and more original than von Neumann's. And that is a very remarkable statement."[16]    … Expand
  4. ordainedCARTER
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Garfield is one of the most well loved characters in America, and when he took the gaming industry by force with "Garfield's Nightmare" it was a welcome change from boring titles such as Mass Effect and Portal which came out in the same year. Garfield's nightmare changed the direction of the franchise to a more slower paced and atmospheric experience rather than the more action oriented aspects of the original television show; however, fans of the show will still enjoy this entry as all of the classic characters such as Garfield and Lasagna are still around.

    The game starts off rather boldly with a harrowing cutscene of Garfield using large amounts of illegal drugs in an attempt to commit suicide, what follows is are levels based off of the inside of Garfield's drug addled mind that give the player a distinct image of Garfield's troubled life. The first level I played featured a dream where Garfield wakes up in a haunted castle which is populated by the monsters of Garfield's subconscience. Similar to the 1998 playstation title "LSD Dream Emulator" this level has little explicit narrative or goals. Instead, the player is left to simply explore the haunted castle and experience the trippy sights and sounds. As i progressed through the level I began to notice dead bodies in the horizon constantly facing me which most likely symbolize the people that Garfield had to kill in order to become the powerful drug lord that he is now. I believe now that that this was an homage to "The Sorrow" boss battle in Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater in which you have to walk past all of the people you have killed in order to defeat The Sorrow. Despite the creepy sights and sounds plaguing Garfield's Nightmare I continued exploring, running into more and more fragments of what seemed to be Garfield's Troubled past. Since I do not want to spoil too much of the game I will omit the rest of my experiences inside Garfield's mind.

    While I believe many fans of the Garfield TV show may be scared off by the introspective and philosophical nature of this game, I think this game differs from other entries in the series because it really makes you FEEL like garfield.    … Expand
  5. Xx_garfield_xX
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    If there is any proof that a God exists, this game is it. Garfield's nightmare is by far the greatest game that I have ever played and it excels in every way possible. First, let's start off with the graphics. Though it is a DS game, Garfield's nightmare is so out of it's league that it still looks fresh and detailed today, surpassing even the most cutting edge console games. The graphicsIf there is any proof that a God exists, this game is it. Garfield's nightmare is by far the greatest game that I have ever played and it excels in every way possible. First, let's start off with the graphics. Though it is a DS game, Garfield's nightmare is so out of it's league that it still looks fresh and detailed today, surpassing even the most cutting edge console games. The graphics are so seal in fact that after long playing sessions (14+ hours) going back to the real world feels less detailed and bland compared to the masterfully and beautifully detailed worlds of Garfield's Nightmare. Next, the story is truly something to behold. it is unlike anything that I have ever experienced before and may be too much for some people to handle. I have cried from pure emotion many times while playing this game, and even after over a dozen playthroughs it still feels as fresh as when it first released over a decade ago in 2007. To not spoil past the very beginning of the game, Garfield falls into a deep sleep and becomes trapped in some truly terrifying nightmares and must escape them. The task of controlling Garfield falls on you, the player, who must navigate through hazardous and wondrous levels one by one until you beat the game. The controls are another integral and amazing part of the Garfield's Nightmare experience. they are tight and extremely responsive, making you feel like a jet pilot with the level of precision you can achieve with the D-pad and outdoes all competitors by far.
    However, the important thing to note with Garfield's Nightmare is that it transcends just being a game you pay, and it becomes a hobby and an important part of your life. You feel like part of Garfield and his world, with each playthrough bringing you closer to being one with Garfield. This game has been criminally underrated by reviewers since they cannot and have not spent enough time and invested enough of their soul into the game to understand it's true genius. This review does not do justice to this game, and nor does the review system as this game deserves a rating beyond numbers as it is incomprehensibly genius and truly the greatest work of art not only in our generation, but of all time.    … Expand
  6. pepsiman6791
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    Since its debut on the PlayStation in 1996, the genre-defining Garfield series has had its ups and downs, though it's always remained at the forefront of survival horror games. Yet it's not enough to call Garfield's Nightmare one of the high points of the series, because this is probably the single greatest horror-themed action game ever created. Garfield's Nightmare is an amazingSince its debut on the PlayStation in 1996, the genre-defining Garfield series has had its ups and downs, though it's always remained at the forefront of survival horror games. Yet it's not enough to call Garfield's Nightmare one of the high points of the series, because this is probably the single greatest horror-themed action game ever created. Garfield's Nightmare is an amazing achievement in a variety of ways, especially in how its inspired, state-of-the-art cinematic presentation works so well with its relentlessly exciting, white-knuckle action, all of which is wrapped up in a decidedly lengthy adventure chock-full of hidden secrets and bonus extras. It obviously isn't for the squeamish or for those otherwise not qualified to play this gory, mature-rated GameCube game, which is too bad for them, because it's hard to imagine anyone else not being consistently thrilled and impressed by what Garfield's Nightmare has to offer.

    In case it isn't abundantly clear, you don't need to be a Garfield fan to appreciate Garfield's Nightmare. However, Garfield fans will recognize the game's well-groomed protagonist Garfield S. Kennedy, a wisecracking government agent investigating an inconspicuous European village where the US president's missing daughter was supposedly sighted. Experiencing the events of the game without really knowing what else to expect is a big part of the fun, so suffice it to say the story is filled with surprises, and it further does a great job of continually ratcheting up the sense of danger and tense excitement you'll feel right from the get-go. The story unfolds through some beautifully rendered and choreographed cinematic cutscenes, as well as through occasional notes you'll find. Yet these aren't the game's strongest suit, nor are they the focus of it, since the dialogue is hammy and thankfully brief. The story's there to give fans of the series something new to ponder, though it mostly exists to create a context for all of Garfield's Nightmare's action sequences. Basically, it helps make the game suspenseful and entices you to keep playing just to see what happens next.

    Garfield's Nightmare is being appropriately billed as the game that takes the series in a bold, new direction. This seems immediately apparent just minutes after the game begins, when Garfield is confronted not by the sorts of mindless zombies that typified previous Garfield installments, but by a haggard man who seems decidedly displeased by Garfield 's presence and completely ignores the threat of his 9mm pistol as he menacingly approaches, axe in hand. The cover of the box depicts these sorts of torch-and-pitchfork-wielding disgruntled natives whom Garfield will be dealing with in Garfield's Nightmare, so the question you'll be wondering is, what exactly are these Spanish-speaking folks' major malfunctions that cause them to want to murder Garfield by any means necessary, and without any concern for their own safety? The game's humanoid enemies seem much more unsettling than your typical zombies, since they show basic signs of intelligence, yet their hatred for Garfield far eclipses their own survival instinct. Still, it'll take just one slash of a sickle or one pitchfork gouging to teach you to terminate these savages without hesitation. They're creepy, memorable foes. And, without spoiling anything, they're just the tip of the iceberg.
    Of course, effort alone isn't enough to make a game like Garfield's Nightmare. This is the result of an extreme level of talent on multiple fronts, and you need look no further than the presentation--as demonstrated by the graphics and sound--for proof. Garfield's Nightmare perfectly and constantly evokes a suffocating, scary atmosphere, yet it's one that's rich with intrigue.Visual effects are also universally superb, especially the fire, which looks completely real. Garfield's Nightmare is one of the best-looking games ever made. Garfield's Nightmare looks best when viewed on a great big progressive scan display, but it looks amazing no matter what, and by any standard. It's also technically impressive in less-apparent ways, such as in how there are virtually no discernable loading times at any point in the game, which helps to keep you immersed in the experience.

    You'll surely find from playing or even just watching Garfield's Nightmare that all this sort of high praise is warranted, though it's worth reiterating that this is one of those games that you ought to approach with as few preconceived notions as possible. Essentially, if you've been entertained by any other mature-rated action game recently, then chances are you'll be blown away by this one. It's that good.    … Expand
  7. KrustyLeprachau
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    I was in a really dark place once, man. Parents were alcoholics, constantly fighting, brother got hooked on drugs, dirt poor, etc. It’s a story as old as time - born into a dog **** life and bound to be nothings. Then it came, like an angel on God's hand crafted, monday hating pair of wings - /Garfield's Nightmare/ . Words cannot describe the immeasurable affect this game has had on myI was in a really dark place once, man. Parents were alcoholics, constantly fighting, brother got hooked on drugs, dirt poor, etc. It’s a story as old as time - born into a dog **** life and bound to be nothings. Then it came, like an angel on God's hand crafted, monday hating pair of wings - /Garfield's Nightmare/ . Words cannot describe the immeasurable affect this game has had on my life. Some people have family and friends, or drugs and alcohol, I have this game. It has gotten me through **** you will never be able to imagine. I was taking a walk to the park one morning thinking about good spots to sleep when I eventually became a homeless person, and there i saw it, buried in the snow, Garfield's Nightmare. At first, I thought nothing of it. "Oh boy, another cat centric 3d platformer for the DS left in the snow like yesterdays pastrami." I chuckled, "How original.". What happened next I cannot explain, nor do I think I will ever understand. Chalk it up to divine intervention, serendipity, a subconscious will to continue to live, a guardian angel - whatever you will. But I grabbed that game, and it was the best decision I have made in my life. I went home and quickly grabbed the money my parents were saving up for my brothers college fund, they did this ironically because they knew he was never going to college and only saved the money they could have something to hold over him and make him take out the garbage and stuff. Once I had the money I immediately went to the nearest gamestop and bought a DS. Yeah, that's how strong this foreign will to play this game was. I didn't even own a DS and I still picked up that game. The second I held the device I knew it was to be the instrument of my deliverance, the crackpipe to my coke, needle to my heroin, Pastor to my spirit, the DS to my Garfield. The cashier saw the glint in my eye and said something about how the last time he saw someone's eyes light up like that they were watching their wife give birth to beautiful triplets while holding a winning jackpot lotto scratcher or some bull**** like that. I didn't hear because I was already 3 blocks down squatting in an alley getting my first fix of this game before that guy could finish his sentence. It surpassed my wildest my wildest expectations, and believe me they were high. I could try to to describe what it was like in words, but that would be like asking an anteater to paint a watercolor picture of the 10th dimension with nothing but its weird little trunk thing and a pack of crayons while on LSD. Possible, but not without my weight in adderall and some sort of divine assistance. I don’t know what it was, but that game changed my whole outlook on life, my mindset, everything. It all just started snapping back into place after that. I got an alright job in one of the nicer parts of my town, saved up enough to go to a good college, met a nice girl, got my family into rehab. It’s almost 10 years later and now I’m married to the love of my life with 2 kids and one more on the way. Thanks giving in is a couple of months and I’m looking forward to seeing my family, which is something I never thought I would say. My brother is now clean and has a job as a carpenter and my parents are happier and better than ever. I never thought this was possible, that I could come this far, that it could get this good. It’s because of this game. Garfield’s Nightmare gave birth to my dream.… Expand
  8. battlegrizz2
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    hey guys sorry about that review my brother made a fake account to impersonate me I think garfields nightmare is a great game
  9. bigpepis23
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    truly a masterpiece that changed the gaming industry. my son nathan likes it
  10. whereisandy151
    Jun 22, 2018
    10
    garfields nightmare is one of my favorite games from my childhood it is a good game
  11. GarfielfFan
    Jun 24, 2019
    10
    Literally a perfect game, can‘t wait to speedrun this masterpeace for the rest of my life.
    Almost as good as Garfield gets real, the movie, the game for the nintendo ds entertainment system.
  12. jfrotylpe532
    Dec 21, 2012
    8
    This is an actual good Ds game. Not many out there you know.
  13. Battlegrizz
    Jun 22, 2018
    2
    This game is absolutely terrible. Graphics are dated, the game has hiccups and glitches. And worst of all the game isnt fun at all. Your better off spending your money else wear.
  14. tspsims
    Jul 10, 2019
    10
    This game is maybe the DS game that has the best graphics, it's incredible, everything is smooth and glitchless...
  15. CrazyCockatoo23
    Sep 17, 2021
    10
    Unlike Garfield Gets Real, Garfield's Nightmare is a faithful adaptation of the comic strip Garfield, given that the cutscenes are literally comic strips written by Jim Davis himself, which are exclusive to this game. It also captures Garfield's personality really well through his thoughts, and has plenty of references to the strip, like the glass decoration of Pooky.

    Other things to    Unlike Garfield Gets Real, Garfield's Nightmare is a faithful adaptation of the comic strip Garfield, given that the cutscenes are literally comic strips written by Jim Davis himself, which are exclusive to this game. It also captures Garfield's personality really well through his thoughts, and has plenty of references to the strip, like the glass decoration of Pooky.

    Other things to note that the gameplay as a whole functions really well, the controls are fluid, the levels design is excellent for the most part, the minigames are also a whole lot of fun to play, the music is wonderful, the UI is simple enough for users to navigate, the bonus sections hidden within levels utilize the 3D fantastically, and the backgrounds are really immersive.

    Flaws for this game include not being able to replay levels at any point unless you start a new save file, the textures may be considered generic sometimes, the minigames don't save your scores, and the game may be too easy for anyone over the target demographic of kids.

    Given how I have a lot of nostalgia for this game back when I was a kid since around 2009, I consider this to be the best licensed game I have ever had the pleasure of playing.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best DS Game of 2007
23
#23 Most Discussed DS Game of 2007
44
#44 Most Shared DS Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. PALGN
    40
    The graphics are pretty, though everything else feels incredibly ordinary, with the intentions solely being focused on tacking Garfield’s name onto a lifeless affair. The game is far too simple and offers very little to anyone who buys it – there are much better alternatives available.
    Read full review
  2. Thunderbolt
    80
    What limited time you do have with Garfield is actually surprisingly entertaining, and though it doesn’t really use the source material very well, this is still a good 2D platformer that platforming fans should check out, whether they like Garfield or not.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Power
    70
    Just as Garfield is not a very ambitious cat, the game does not try to reach far. But what it does do, it does well. [Oct 2007, p.89]
See all critic reviews »