Garfield's Fun Fest (USA)

Garfield's Fun Fest for the Nintendo DS hit stores in 2009, tying into the direct-to-video movie of the same name. It's a 2D platformer where you guide the lasagna-loving cat through a series of levels themed around the film's plot. The game was published by The Game Factory and remains one of the simpler licensed titles on the platform, targeting younger players and fans of the comic strip. If you've played any DS platformer from this era, you'll recognize the structure immediately.

You control Garfield as he runs, jumps, and collects items across stages that mimic locations from the movie, like the fun fest fair itself. The core loop involves reaching the end of each level while gathering food items and avoiding obstacles. There's a basic health system - getting hit by hazards or enemies loses a life, but you can find extra lives scattered around. The touch screen is used sparingly, mostly for a few mini-games or to activate objects. It's straightforward, no complex mechanics.

Worth trying today if you're a Garfield completist or curious about movie tie-ins from the late 2000s. It's not a standout compared to DS staples like New Super Mario Bros., but it's a perfectly functional piece of licensed software. The graphics are colorful and capture the cartoon style, and the music is decent. For a quick nostalgia hit or if you just want a simple platformer to kill an hour, this fits the bill. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking - it's a solid, if unremarkable, example of its genre.