Should you avoid this like a vampire?
You are Garlic, an onion-headed boy and you want to climb the Sacred Tower to meet the Cyber Goddess that grants a wish to the heroes who reach the top. Wall jump, dash, tons of traps and some enemies too, with lot of moving backgrounds, one screen stages and large stages, maaany checkpoints to not be frustrated in the very simple n fun mechanics 1 bit platformer, inspired by Super Meat Boy, Celeste, Gato Roboto….
Garlic is a bizarre game. It has very precise platforming, quick deaths, but plenty of checkpoints to help you out as you try to reach the top of the Sacred Tower. Garlic seems to fall instantly in love with the Cyber Goddess in a very odd scene that essentially sets the tone for the game. There are even breaks from the 2D platforming for a section where Garlic struts towards the camera and you have to kick aluminium cans and avoid stepping in poo. There’s even a space shooter arcade machine tucked away that you can use your coins on.
Each stage is well designed and when you die, it’s down to you. Platinum trophy hunters will be pleased to know it’s not that tough to earn that as you only have to reach a point very early on to obtain it, but in doing so it robs the game of its challenge. I beat the game and had a blast doing so, but it would have been nice to have a longer trophy list.
The visuals are typical of a retro-style platformer and while it’s simple, it works well. It also isn’t afraid to become very strange in its cutscenes or as you talk to others along the way. It runs solidly throughout with no slowdowns in framerate and I didn’t come across any glitches through my time with the game.
The Verdict
Ultimately, Garlic is a very strange but challenging platformer that will appeal to gamers who like that. It also has a very easy platinum for those who enjoy that. Either way, it’s good fun from start to finish.