Nicely presented and colorful just like The Simpson TV show is,but the gameplay is too difficult for it's own good.
I remember seeing The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants on sale for a cheap price,so I asked my dad to buy this game and I was looking forward to playing it,especially since the star of the game is Bart Simpson himself.
When I put the disc in,I was treated to a nice looking and funny FMV sequence with Bart Simpson when he first encounters the space mutants.However,IMO the game is too difficult and you can use up your lives very quickly for sections that involve delicate timing or trial by error and even though the game can be a little bit fun at times,the things I've mentioned above strip much of the fun factor from the game.
In this game,you will control Bart Simpson and only Bart Simpson and the game plays like a 2D platformer.When you're trying to move through the environments,there often will be space mutants and objects that can harm you such as pairs of shoes that come walking towards you or giant rings that come bouncing towards you and you can simply jump over some of these obsticles but some of the mutants/objects will jump or move back and forth or come bouncing towards and some mutants float in the air for a bit but come down very quickly and it makes you judge the timing for when you try to jump over them or manuver past them.The earlier enemies/dangerous objects aren't too difficult to get past,but some of the dangerous objects later in the game require delicate timing to get past and the game gives you only 3 lives(and Bart can absorb 2 hits for each life)and you can find extra lives too,but it's easy to go through your lives quickly.There's also no save system or passwor system.
Even though the game is a platformer,much of the game will involve searching for or modifying certain objects within the levels.Sometimes you'll need to think laterally if you want to be able to modify a certain object.For example,in the first level,you're required to change the color of a certain number of purple objects(because the space mutants need purple colored objects for their weapon that they're planning to use to take over Earth)and even though changing the color of certain purple objects can be as simple as spraypainting them,you'll also need to think how to use the environment around you.For example,you'll need to put a coin into the public phone to prank call Moe to make him come chasing after you so you can spraypaint his purple shirt.Or you'll need to shoot a rocket at a purple colored bird and you'll need to judge the angle properly.In the second level,you're required to collect a certain number of hats because the aliens need hats for their weapon and waiting for people to walk past so you can knock the hat off their head and collect it slows the pace of the game down.
The gameplay may not seem so bad so far,but I will explain more about the high difficulty.Sometimes you'll need to jump onto a moving platform that's above wet cement and the jump will require delicate timing.If you miss the jump,you'll lose a life(not just 1 hit but an entire life).As for the trail by error,when I was doing the skateboarding sections,unless I already knew where the mutants would be on the footpath beforehand,I would skate into them because the skating sections are very fast.You'll need to find money to buy items such as rockets and cherry bombs and it's easy to waste them doing trial by error(such as trying to judge the angle for how to make the rocket hit a high-up object)or trying to figure out where to and where not to throw a cherry bomb and you can be stuck without enough money to buy more items that you need to modify the environment with and you'll need to commit suicide so you can have another attempt at progressing through the game.
There is more simplified platforming sections but the jumping controls are a bit sloppy and feel clumsy compared to Super Mario Bros.
The other members of Bart's family will show up for boss battles to assist Bart if he collects enough proof.For some reason,even though there's mutants everywhere,Bart is either the only person who can see them or is the only person who knows they're trying to take over the world.Bart can collect proof by jumping on the head's of certain people who either have had their body taken over by a space mutant or are a space mutant in disguise and after he does so,he can collect a proof sphere.But you'll have to be careful not to jump onto the head of somebody who is not a mutant or you will lose a life(you can use the x-ray goggles to see which humans are humans and which are not).Much loved characters from the series such as Moe,some of the policemen characters,Marvin Monroe,Nelson,Jimbo,Sideshow Bob as well as some others make an appearance in the game whether it be as an end of level boss or just as nuisance value during mid-level.
I did enjoy this game a bit,just not a whole lot.I was able to learn how to get past the first level efficiently,but I was never able to get past the second level because I lost all or most of my lives on those brutal platform jumps where you need to jump onto moving platforms that are above wet cement.
It's a shame because graphically,it's quite a nice looking game and it's colorful just like the TV show and the AMIGA version of this game has nice FMV scenes and the memorable musical themes from the Simpsons series are in this game.