It´s possoble, but its a lot harder,
i made 15min without garlic.
The early game is much tougher without garlic, but garlic is not so optimal later on. The bible is nearly as good if you focus on upgrading it, and it can be evolved later which beats garlic in the long run. I play with the skeleton guy and rarely get garlic, because his power does not benefit it. Getting magic wand early helps, too.