Game Review: The Simpsons: Bart Vs the Space Mutants

Review: The Simpsons: Bart vs the Space Mutants (Amiga)

When my brother and I first received an Amiga as a Christmas present in 1991, it came with a giant box full of an assortment of games. Amongst the many titles was Bart vs the Space Mutants, one of the earliest games based on the fantastic series, The Simpsons. At the outset a bored Bart Simpson witnesses a UFO descending from the stars and hovering close to his home in Springfield. Thanks to his X-ray glasses, Bart is able to see that two aliens have beamed down from the spaceship and have big plans ahead to take over the world. They have a machine that requires a specific item and if they can collect enough they will be successful in their plans. It is down to Bart, with a little help from his family, to stop the aliens.

You take charge of Bart throughout the game and have to navigate your way through five levels, each one requiring you to collect a certain item each time. The first level sees Bart equipped with spray paint and given the task of painting purple objects which the aliens desire. In the later levels you have to collect hats, balloons, exit signs and finally nuclear capsules. Your five stops are downtown Springfield, a shopping mall, a fun fair, a museum and finally the nuclear power plant. As you traverse the levels you will have to avoid making contact with aliens but also be on the lookout for the Springfield locals. Most are human but some are aliens in disguise which Bart can only detect with his X-ray glasses. By jumping on the head of these incognito aliens you can collect one letter that spells out the name of one of your family members. If you completely spell out their name then said family member will assist you in a boss fight at the end of the level. Maggie helps you on the first level, Marge on the second, Lisa on the third, Homer on the fourth, while the fifth and final level sees the entire family coming to your aid.

This was a wonderful game to revisit. Many elements of Springfield are here including a call to Moe’s Bar to give him an amusing name to shout to his locals, Nelson is in there, Krusty the Clown too (his face anyway!) and a variety of enemies that don’t just include aliens. The controls are not the best, especially when it comes to some of the sections where you have to jump across moving platforms. Some require Bart to be running before you can clear the jump safely. Not always easy and soon very frustrating. The first level is still probably the most fun. I always thought the second and fourth levels were harder than the others, the fourth in particular caused me to pull my hair out. Due to the sometimes awkward controls and difficult levels, this one is probably not suited for younger gamers.

Bart vs the Space Mutants is now more than twenty years old but remain a fun game. Fans of The Simpsons will find a lot to enjoy but it remains let down by the controls and the unforgiving difficulty levels of one or two levels. The phrase, “Eat my shorts!” may also sadly start to grind at you, given that Bart says it every time he loses a life.

Verdict: 3/5

About the Author:

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school.

In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I’m a lover of films, games, books and blogging.

I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats – Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

David M. Brown – who has written 859 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.