Bart and the Beanstalk
Encyclopedia
The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk is a platform game
released in 1994 for the hand-held console Game Boy
. It was developed by Software Creations
and published by Acclaim Entertainment
, and is based on the animated television series The Simpsons
. The game is a parody of the fairy tale
Jack and the Beanstalk
; a large beanstalk grows far up into the sky outside the home of Bart Simpson
, whom the player controls. Bart climbs the beanstalk all the way to the top and adventures ensues. Bart & the Beanstalk has received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
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 swindle
d 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.
and published by Acclaim
. Richard Kay and Michael Webb served as executive producers, and Joe Smith composed the music. It was released in North America in February 1994 for the hand-held console Game Boy
, and in Japan on September 30, 1994. The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk is one of several The Simpsons Game Boy games published by Acclaim in the beginning of the 1990s.
The GamePro
magazine 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 1994 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!"
In 2009, 1UP.com editor Bob Mackey reviewed the game in 1UP's official Retro Gaming Blog. He described the game as annoying, but thought the graphics were good. Mackey wrote that "outside of a funky walk cycle from Bart, the game actually looks pretty nice—for some reason the Game Boy Simpsons games were always graphically superior to the NES
ones—but that's about all the praise it deserves. Even more so than Camp Deadly
, the screen of Beanstalk is awfully cramped, so the problem of enemies appearing out of nowhere to kill you has only gotten worse." Mackey added that he would have liked to see a more powerful weapon because the range of the slingshot is only a few feet.
Jeff Kapalka of the Syracuse Herald-American was more positive, giving the game a three out of four rating in a 1994 review. He commented that "the graphics are crisp, clear and cartoony, and it's a fun game for the Game Boy," and noted that the game is similar to the early side-scrolling Mario
games. A review in the St. Petersburg Times
called The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk "fun and funny".
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
released in 1994 for the hand-held console Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. It was developed by Software Creations
Software Creations (UK)
Software Creations was a video game developer based in Manchester, England, first established in 1987. They are primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licenses like Marvel Comics, Cutthroat Island, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and original titles Solstice and the sequel...
and published by Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
, and is based on the animated television series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. The game is a parody of the fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
; a large beanstalk grows far up into the sky outside the home of Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, whom the player controls. Bart climbs the beanstalk all the way to the top and adventures ensues. Bart & the Beanstalk has received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
Plot and gameplay
The game merges the existing universe of The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
television series with the fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
of Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
. In the story, Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
goes to market to sell the family cow, but is swindle
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
d by a clever miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
(played in the game by the character Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
) who trades it for magical beans and a slingshot. When Bart takes the magic beans home his father Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
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
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
. 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.
Development and release
The game was developed by Software CreationsSoftware Creations (UK)
Software Creations was a video game developer based in Manchester, England, first established in 1987. They are primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licenses like Marvel Comics, Cutthroat Island, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and original titles Solstice and the sequel...
and published by Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
. Richard Kay and Michael Webb served as executive producers, and Joe Smith composed the music. It was released in North America in February 1994 for the hand-held console Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, and in Japan on September 30, 1994. The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk is one of several The Simpsons Game Boy games published by Acclaim in the beginning of the 1990s.
Reception
Bart & the Beanstalk has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The website UGO Networks wrote: "Nothing like yet another crappy side-scroller to inject a little energy into a game series. Acclaim, not learning a lesson from the last few stinkers to come out for the Game Boy, did it again with this uninspired nonsense, Bart and the Beanstalk. The title pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this game — Jack and the Beanstalk meets The Simpsons. 'nuff said. It's got terrible graphics (even for the Game Boy), lousy controls and repetitive game play." 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."The GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine 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 1994 review in Game Players
Game Players
Game Players was a monthly video game magazine founded by Robert C. Lock and published by Signal Research, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The original publication was titled Game Players Strategy to Nintendo Games...
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!"
In 2009, 1UP.com editor Bob Mackey reviewed the game in 1UP's official Retro Gaming Blog. He described the game as annoying, but thought the graphics were good. Mackey wrote that "outside of a funky walk cycle from Bart, the game actually looks pretty nice—for some reason the Game Boy Simpsons games were always graphically superior to the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
ones—but that's about all the praise it deserves. Even more so than Camp Deadly
Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly
Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly is a 2D platform game for the Game Boy hand-held gaming console. Developed by Imagineering, it was published by Acclaim in North America in 1991. The game was released in Europe in 1992 and Japan in 1993...
, the screen of Beanstalk is awfully cramped, so the problem of enemies appearing out of nowhere to kill you has only gotten worse." Mackey added that he would have liked to see a more powerful weapon because the range of the slingshot is only a few feet.
Jeff Kapalka of the Syracuse Herald-American was more positive, giving the game a three out of four rating in a 1994 review. He commented that "the graphics are crisp, clear and cartoony, and it's a fun game for the Game Boy," and noted that the game is similar to the early side-scrolling Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
games. A review in the St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
called The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk "fun and funny".