Level Up: The Simpsons Arcade

Around this time last year, Adamant Ditto decided to start “Beat-em-up month”, and this year it’s back with a “Revengance”, so I’m celebrating again. Now one thing that’s surprising about beat-em-ups is how some of the most iconic games in the genre include licensed titles, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, the X-men arcade game and even (relatively) recent entry Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. However, one that surprises me the most is The Simpsons Arcade game. Who would of thought a show with little fighting would make for a great game where people fight? However, that’s not the game I’m here to talk about: there is actually another Simpsons Beat-em-up that people tend to miss because they think it’s the same game (more on that in a bit). So let’s now look at the Simpsons Arcade available for your mobile devices.

I will start off by saying that I do not think this is a port of the original arcade game: there are too many features changed, the levels are different and the publisher is Electronic Arts instead of Konami. This could be considered a remake, but I still think that would be stretching it. However, the games do feature some of the same aspects. This is why I decided not to do a classic vs comeback, because some might say I’m just comparing ports, which is not the point of that feature. Even if it is a port, it has enough differences that it’s still worth checking out separately.

The game starts off with a cut scene where Springfield's most powerful citizens (and Krusty), are discussing Project: Operation mission, which is a secret plan to “steal all of Springfield’s natural resources or something” (the game rightfully assumes that you don’t care). They hide a flash drive in a donut, which happens to accidentally fall into Homer’s hands. Once Homer has his mysterious donut taken from him, he thinks about how delicious it must be if it’s worth assault, so he chases after it.

The story works in a tongue and cheek tone that plays the fact that this is a Simpsons brawler. I can’t help but enjoy the amount of personality that comes through in a short time. Though this might only work because I know the characters before hand, the quick lines the boss and mid-boss characters say tend to get a Dr. Hibbert chuckle out of me.

You’ll play as Homer as you bash your way to your delicious goal. (Mmmm, goal *drool*) You sadly can’t play as one of the other Simpsons, but they do still make an appearance in the form of special move items. You can also find other Simpson cameos for extra lives. You can also get extra lives in the mini-games between levels.

The hit detection and controls are spot on (though using an arcade stick on the touch screen can make your finger slide off). However, there is one BIG ISSUE: minimizing restarts the game. Even if you pause it, loading another app or going to the home menu will send you back to opening credits and title screen. You have the option to continue, but you have to redo the whole level. Now this isn’t a long game, you can probably beat it during a trip to Shelbyville, but mobile games should not work like this.

The Simpsons Arcade is a great game for your mobile devices and truly another great Simpsons beat-em-up (or great new version of the old one, depending on your view on the subject). There are issues with how this game works in regard to the platform it’s on, but those can be over looked as the content itself is really good (I’d like to say that there’s also a possibility for an update, but it’s been a few years since this game had one). If you’re a beat-em-up fan or a Simpsons fan, you really can’t go wrong with this game: the game play is classic, the story is well played and the characters are all recognizable and full of personality. The game looks just like the show (though Homer’s eyes are looking in a weird direction) and it uses voice clips from the actors too. If you’re not a fan of either I still recommend you check out the free trial version, and the full game is only 99 cents. I give The Simpsons Arcade for the iPhone 9 levels out of 10.