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The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk is a platformer that was developed by Software Creations and published by Acclaim Entertainment, released in February 1994 on the Game Boy.
Plot and gameplay[]
The game merges the existing universe of The Simpsons television series with the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. In the story, Bart Simpson goes to market to sell the family cow, but is swindled by a clever miser (played in the game by the character Mr. Burns) who trades it for magical beans and a slingshot. When Bart takes the magic beans home his father Homer Simpson accidentally eats them and spits them outside. A beanstalk grows, Bart climbs to the top, and adventures in a giant castle ensue. Bart meets several characters from The Simpsons on these adventures.
The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk is a side-scrolling platform game. It is single-player only. The player of the game controls Bart in a total of seven levels. They are: "Up the Beanstalk", "Outside the Castle", "The Giant's Cupboard", "Soup Du Jour", "The Giant's Room", "Escape from the Castle", and "Down the Beanstalk". In order to complete a level, the player must collect a certain amount of gold coins. Bart is faced with a number of enemies on every level, and he can use his slingshot to fend them off. He can also pick up dynamite, which kills all enemies currently on the screen. The enemies featured in the game include beetles, hornets, flies, ducks, rats, and fire flies. On some levels, Bart also has to defeat a boss.
Reception[]
Bart & the Beanstalk has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. In his 1994 book Video Games: A Guide for Savvy Parents, David Sheff describes Bart & the Beanstalk as "a frustratingly tough game without much whimsy." GamePro commented that "this drab game definitely lacks personality. There's a challenge here for those who want to sit through yet another simple side-scroller. Everyone else, though, might be better off trading in their magic beans for a cow." Similarly, a review in Game Players said "the designers of this action game took a standard story, plastered the Simpsons faces on boring characters, then threw in some of the show's running jokes. Bor-ring!" The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly found the game's biggest problem to be that it is too frustratingly hard, especially for the game's pre-adolescent target audience. They also stated that the difficulty stems chiefly from the poor design of Bart's slingshot.
External links[]
- The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk at GameFAQs
The Simpsons video games | |
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Console games | Bart vs. the Space Mutants • Bart vs. the World • Krusty's Fun House (Super) • Bart's Nightmare • Bartman Meets Radioactive Man • Virtual Bart • The Itchy & Scratchy Game • Road Rage • Hit & Run • The Simpsons Game |
Handheld games | Escape from Camp Deadly • Bart vs. the Juggernauts • Bart & the Beanstalk • Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness • Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror |
Related | Acclaim • Konami • Vivendi Games • Electronic Arts |