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A Week of Garfield

NES

NES

Garfield, the lovable fat orange cat, has gotten himself into a spot of trouble. His pal and center of abuse, the yellow dog Odie, has gone and disappeared somewhere. Their owner, Jon, is too lazy to go look for Odie himself, so he has Garfield go out and look for him. And so Garfield heads off, ...

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Developer
MARS

Released on
1989

Size
1 Player

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

Downloads
Action

Publisher
Towa Chiki

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

Garfield, the lovable fat orange cat, has gotten himself into a spot of trouble. His pal and center of abuse, the yellow dog Odie, has gone and disappeared somewhere. Their owner, Jon, is too lazy to go look for Odie himself, so he has Garfield go out and look for him. And so Garfield heads off, out into the world.

A Week of Garfield is a side-scrolling platform game based on the comic strip by Jim Davis. Garfield heads to the right through various indoor and outdoor city environments, dealing with endless vermin like frogs, birds, and mice using his judo kick skills and several different weapons such as bones that can be thrown. He has a life bar that can quickly deplete if he isn’t careful, but hidden all around each stage are various items, which can replenish his health, refill his weapon supplies, and give him super speed or invincibility; be careful, though, as sometimes he’ll also find fish bones which will harm Garfield if eaten.

A Week of Garfield

Overview & History

Released exclusively for the Famicom in Japan in 1989 by Titus Software and later localized for the North American NES market through American Sammy in 1992, A Week of Garfield is a bizarre, notoriously difficult platformer based on Jim Davis's iconic lazy orange cat. The surreal storyline kicks off when Garfield’s lovable, dimwitted canine roommate, Odie, foolishly leaps into a moving van holding Garfield's precious supply of lasagna and heads toward the animal shelter. Refusing to let his food source escape, Garfield embarks on a grueling, seven-stage odyssey across town, navigating sewers, back alleys, construction sites, and the shelter itself. Unlike typical licensed games of the era that simply slap a brand onto a generic engine, this title features uniquely punishing mechanics that left a lasting, bewildering impression on anyone brave enough to play it.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Gameplay spans seven distinct stages corresponding to the days of the week, featuring aggressive level design where nearly every background animal—from stray alley cats and angry pigeons to aggressive rats and wandering ghosts—acts as an enemy. Garfield’s move set is surprisingly diverse for an NES title. He can walk, crouch, crawl through tight spaces, jump, and climb ladders. For offense, Garfield swipes with his claws in a standard melee attack, but he can also collect P-icons to unleash devastating ranged yarn balls. A crucial defensive mechanic is the health-draining stamina meter: sustaining too much damage turns Garfield into an immobilized, panic-stricken furball that must rapidly shake the controller or mash buttons to recover. Because health items are scarce and enemies relentlessly respawn, survival requires memorizing enemy placement and mastering tight, unforgiving platforming physics.