Garfield Lasagna Party Review

What happens when you mix Garfield and the Mario Party franchise, you get, well, a Garfield party. But it’s not just a standard party. It’s a board game party. Unlike Mario Party, however, you won’t be earning stars, but instead, will be collecting…lasagna? Let’s take a look at Garfield Lasagna Party and see if it is the right game for you!

I love lasagna as much as the next guy, and I’m sure that this has some reference to Garfield that I’m not totally understanding, but it’s an odd premise to be sure. That being said, it wasn’t enough to stop me from diving deep into this game with my kids to see what was below the surface. Mario Party has dominated the party / board game space for so long, and so many companies have tried to break in and make waves. Few, if any, have succeeded, so for many, there wasn’t much hope for this.

I was dead wrong. Garfield Lasagna Party is a fresh look at a tired idea. Fresh characters, fresh mini games, and more. While I do feel the game lacks the overall graphical polish of Mario Party, the variety of minigames and boards more than makes up for it. The game itself is just pure damn fun, and that will always trump graphics in my opinion.

So what do you do here? Roll dice, move your player, and compete in games. There is tons of variety here, and I really like it. There are some that obviously have their roots in games you’ve played in other franchises, but games like bull riding feel very unique and fun. Sure, in this game you are still trying to knock out your opponents, but the added challenge of riding your bull makes it feel different, than say, riding around on snowballs trying to knock people off platforms.

A quick game of Lasagna Party only lasts 30 minutes, which is perfect for our family. We find other games in other franchises just take too long between all the additional things happening within the game, outside of rolling and playing games. I found Garfield Lasagna Party VERY streamlined, and I say that in the best possible way.

There are disappointments for sure. While everything still feels pretty fresh right now – 4 characters, 32 games, one new board – I do know that eventually it will feel tired. There also is no opportunity to practice mini games before starting them. That will be difficult for younger kids, although it won’t impact adults in any way. Overall, Garfield Lasagna Party is a competent party game, and one that we are really enjoying.