The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The Space Mutants - Reception

Reception

According to the magazine Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology, the game was a best-seller. Reviews of Bart vs. the Space Mutants have been mixed. One of the authors of the book Video Game Bible: 1985-2002 called Bart vs. the Space Mutants "the best of the Simpsons titles on the NES." However, another contributor to the book said it "falls flat, mostly because it relies too much on its license and not enough on solid platform action." Many critics have described the game as difficult. An author for the Italian newspaper la Repubblica said the levels are not easy, and the Swedish edition of Sega Force described the game as both difficult and boring. Nintendo Power (which rated the NES game 66/100) wrote: "Bart Simpson has finally made it to the NES from Acclaim. His adventure, though, is anything but a game for underachievers. This game is very challenging and could be frustratingly so to some players. The tasks that you must perform to complete the adventure require patience and skill."

The NES version of Bart vs. the Space Mutants received a B rating from Lou Kesten of Entertainment Weekly, who noted that "the biggest drawback of this game is its brutally difficult opening section. However, what makes it challenging are clever strategic puzzles rather than thumb-bruising acrobatics. Bart tests reflexes and imagination in a way all too rarely seen in video games." The Video Game Critic's David Mrozek was more negative, giving it a D grade and noting that "the difficulty is insane!" He added that the game "is actually quite fun to play, but it's relentlessly unforgiving, requiring you to complete every single goal flawlessly! Since there's no password, you're always doomed to repeat the early stages, and considering the difficulty, that oversight is unforgivable."

James Leach of Your Sinclair gave the ZX Spectrum game a 92/100 rating, writing that "I'm really into this game. As far as I can see, it's got everything it should have. It's fast, it's easy in places and dead wicked in others and it's got a massive amount of variety. What more could you want? The graphics are very cartoony, as you'd expect, and there's pots of colour." Leach also noted that the idea of including minigames in Bart vs. the Space Mutants "is pretty inspired, and makes the game even more fun." A reviewer for Crash also gave the ZX Spectrum version a positive review, with a 91/100 rating. He praised the variety and gameplay of the game, and noted that "while it may sound pretty basic it’s when you start discovering things, making use of objects, finding hidden treasures that it really comes alive. And achieving an objective is satisfying because the route to completion can be pretty tough (especially some of the platform elements)." The reviewer also noted that "if you’re a Simpsons’ fan the game’s incredibly appealing, the graphics all reflect Matt Groening’s cartoon very well. And how much of a fan you are dictates how much you’re really going to enjoy this . Non-fans can still get loads of entertainment, but some parts may be frustrating if you’re not into the characters."

In 2009, 1UP.com editor Bob Mackey reviewed the NES game in 1UP.com's official Retro Gaming Blog. Although he liked the first level for "mixing an impressive amount of references from the show with gameplay that has a pinch of point-and-click adventure in", he expressed his dislike for the other levels: "Unfortunately, either due to lack of ideas or lack of time (most likely the latter), the rest of Bart Vs. the Space Mutants doesn't quite live up to the promise or ambition of the first level; the remaining four stages devolve into a frustrating and generic exercise in platforming that lacks all of the little references that made the beginning of the game somewhat authentic." Mackey described the game's controls as "terrible".