The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Juggernauts (Game Boy) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
394A playthrough of Acclaim's 1992 license-based action game for the Nintendo Game Boy game, The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Juggernauts.
Bart vs. the Juggernauts was the follow-up to the 1991 game Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly, and both were developed by Imagineering, the same company that created the NES Simpsons games.
Rather than going the retreading the platformer gameplay of the previous games, Bart vs. the Juggernauts poses itself as a comical restyling of the old TV show American Gladiators.
Bart is a contestant on Juggernauts USA, a game show that pits him against an army of musclebound guys in leotards in a gauntlet of contrived physical challenges. Hosted by Ken Brockman with analysis and commentary provided by Dr. Marvin Monroe, Juggernauts USA runs for four "episodes," each with several events that have to be cleared to move on. It's the same basic progression scheme that Pilotwings used, and it's a cool way to structure a Simpsons game. It also works much better here than it did in Virtual Bart.
There are seven main events to compete in:
Captain Murdock's Skateboard Crash and Bash - gain speed on a ramp before launching into to air to take out the juggernaut. (Similar to the Cannonball event in American Gladiators)
Dr. Marvin Monroe's Hop, Skip, and a Fry - jump across an electrified checkboard while avoiding the Juggernauts to take shots at the basket.
Nuclear Power Plant Bop Til You Drop - wail on your opponent until they've taken a plunge in nuclear waste. (Similar to the Joust event in American Gladiators)
Herman's Military Minefield Mayhem - cross a minefield as various bits of artillery rain down on your head. (This reminds me of the obstacle course in the Double Dare game.)
The Krusty Hammer Slammer - use the mallet to repel the Juggernauts coming down the poles. Don't let them reach the floor!
The Kwik-e-Mart Doggie Dodge - collect items and avoid the dogs as you make your way to the cash register.
Moe's Tavern Shove Fest - knock your opponent out of the ring in a shoving-focused take on wrestling.
Each of the four episodes (stages) are made up a combination of those seven events, and each successive episode ups the amount of points required to move on. These amounts jump pretty quickly, and it's not long before the game starts to demand near-perfection from you. The events aren't particularly difficult (well, maybe except for that stupid minefield) once you've figured them out, and the controls are generally good. It takes a lot of practice and memorization, just like any other old-school Simpsons game, but since the action is limited to just seven short, simple events, it doesn't really last long enough to become frustrating.
The graphics look great, especially for a Game Boy game, and the music features an amusing but solid "reimagining" of the American Gladiators theme. Framing the events with a game show brings all of the events together nicely, and though it gets a bit repetitive, the doctor's commentary is pretty funny.
The Simpsons games fared surprisingly well on the Game Boy, and I always liked this one for how it tried something different. If you ever got a kick out of the old multi-event sports games (Track and Field, Snoopy's Silly Sports, Tiny Toons Wacky Sports Challenge, etc.), it might be worth trying out this one out. It's not a deep game, but it is good for a bit of light, Simpsons-themed fun.
*Recorded using Retroarch's DMG shader to mimic the look of the original hardware.*
Some other Simpsons' games on Game Boy:
Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly:
https://youtu.be/NsTnQdK-RhI
The Simpsons: Bart and the Beanstalk:
https://youtu.be/I8LL_UEHyXE
The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror:
https://youtu.be/xzvuFuHwp3g
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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