Many of you regular readers may know I was a child of the 80s and enjoyed many things as a kid from that time.  You probably know I was really into Pac-Man (still am), as well as other franchises like Star Wars, Transformers, Ghostbusters, etc.  One other thing I was really into back then was Garfield.  Back then, most people read newspapers and the comics strips therein were very popular with kids and adults.  I think those comic strips are one of the things I miss most about print newspapers (that and me getting paid to write for them).  I read the comics, bought all the books, watched the Garfield TV specials and Saturday morning cartoons, and even ate the fruit snacks and Garfield ravioli.  Yes, Garfield was very popular back then.  So I was really excited to review Garfield Lasagna Party, a board game title with mini-games similar to Mario Party.  It’s available on all current systems and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

There are three main modes of play and you can choose from four different characters: Garfield, Odie, Arlene, and Nermal.  Other characters like Jon and Pooky appear in the backgrounds.  The main mode is Lasagna Race.  Here, four players, either people or the CPU, will roll dice and move about a board with spaces that’ll do different things.  You can earn coins, use items to hinder other players, etc.  After everyone has a turn rolling the dice, you then play a mini-game to earn even more lasagna.  Whoever has the most lasagna at the end of a few rounds, wins.

The next mode is Lasagna Challenge, where you can play each of the mini-games separately.  There are more than 30 mini-games in all, so that’s not bad.  I like how they are all related to things Garfield and friends would do in the comics, like eating food or running away from dogs, etc.  The last mode is Lasagna Challenge, where you choose to play a set number of random mini-games in a row.

Even though this game isn’t too terribly original, I didn’t really have any major problems with it.  The board game mode can plod on a bit, some of the mini-games are super easy while others are nigh impossible, and it could always use more boards and mini-games.  But it’s pretty serviceable enough for players of all ages.  I wish they had Garfield video games when I was a kid!

Kid Factor:

Garfield Lasagna Party is rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Cartoon Violence.  You can throw silly things at other players like snowballs and tomatoes, and hit players just flash and spin around, but that’s it.  Younger gamers may need a little help from time to time, as reading skill is a must.

Tags: Game Reviews, Movies with Children, Television