The bright blue Simpsons arcade cabinet always drew my attention when I was a kid. Whenever I saw it I would ask my parents for quarters to play it to see how far I could get. Back then I would never get very far because I would only have a few quarters to play with.
I have a lot of nostalgia for these classic arcade beat’em ups. I wanted to play through The Simpsons arcade game again in 2019 to see what the entire game was like (instead of dying and running out of quarters on the first boss like when I was a kid).
You’re in the right place if you are interested in learning The Simpsons arcade game tips or just want to know how the story ends.
The Simpsons Arcade Game Story
The game shows you the story as you put in your coin to play. Smithers is seen stealing a gem from a store and then crashing into the Simpsons family. Maggie (the baby) and the gem fly up in the air. The gem lands in Maggie’s mouth and Smithers steals the youngest Simpson with the gem.
This is where you come in. You can play as one of four characters: Marge, Homer, Bart, or Lisa. They each have their own way of beating up on bad guys, which you will need to do in order to save Maggie from Smithers and Mr. Burns.
Controls for The Simpsons
There are two buttons for each player, along with a joystick to move. One button is the attack button. The other is jump. You can press jump and then attack in the air to come down on an enemy with a quick jump attack. If you press both buttons at the same time you can do a special move that does more damage in the air but is slower.
There is the option to play with your friends. You can play all four characters, with room for the controls for each player on The Simpsons arcade game cabinet.
The game can be played solo but is a lot easier and a lot more fun with more people.
The Simpsons strategy and stages
Simpsons Stage 1 – Downtown
This is the stage that if you have played The Simpsons arcade game at all then you are probably familiar with. When I was a kid a remember playing this stage a lot as I would die at the final boss and have to come back the next time with more quarters to play.
Downtown Enemies
Basic henchman, fat henchman, and firefighters.
Make sure to hit the trees to get apples to heal before the final boss.
Downtown Boss – Big bowler goon guy (real name is Professor Werner von Brawn)
Even though he is the first boss he is still quite hard. He will attack by swinging his fists every so often. Dodge this attack and hit when you can. There is a bowling ball you can pick up and throw at him at the start of the fight.
Simpsons Stage 2 – Krustyland
Krustyland Enemies
Along with the normal henchman there are teal colored henchman that have a bit more health. Krusty the clown riding a ball, bunnies, and henchman that will throw their hats at you like Oddjob.
Use the mallet weapon on the fat goons in the teacups to kill them in one shot.
Krustyland Boss – Giant Krusty balloon
This boss takes up a lot of the screen so he will be easy to hit. He will dive down and try to hit you so avoid the shadow on the ground.
Simpsons Stage 3 – Springfield Discount Cemetery
Cemetery Enemies
Zombies that pop up from the ground.
The slingshot can be found if this stage. Use it to shoot enemies from a safe distance.
Cemetery Boss – Gangster brother bosses
There is a tall one and a short one. Focus on one of them to kill him quickly so it is 1 vs 1. Together they will do a special move where the short brother jumps on the taller one to do lots of damage in an area.
Simpsons Stage 4 – Moe’s Tavern
Tavern Enemies
A lot of the regular goons and fat goons in this stage. Bigger women holding barrels will attack you.
Tavern Boss – Just a drunk guy (does not have a name)
He will stumble towards you. Be careful to avoid his fire burp attack. This attack does almost half of your health in one hit.
Simpsons Stage 5 – Springfield Butte
I remember, back in the day, watching a group of older kids playing The Simpsons arcade cabinet. This was the farthest stage that they got to before giving up. I really wanted to beat The Springfield Butte playing now to see what the future stages were like.
Butte Enemies
Bigfoot comes out of his cave and throws boulders. Loggers also attack you with long range attacks.
Butte Boss – A big bear
Avoid the bear’s roll attack which is easy to see coming. Other than that this boss is pretty easy compared to others.
Simpsons Stage 6 – Dreamland
This is the most unique stage. You are knocked out and dreaming of all things related to each Simpsons family member.
Dreamland Enemies
Donuts, saxophones, Marge cloud heads, Bart devils, and power plant workers.
Dreamland Boss – Bowling Ball
One of the longest boss fights in the game. It has 4 forms that happen after you do enough damage. The first form the bowling ball will roll towards you. The second form it grows arms and punches you. The third form it shoots bowling pin rockets. The final form it will grow even longer arms and flail all around.
Simpsons Stage 7 – Channel 6
Channel 6 Enemies
Robots that shoot lasers and ninjas that hit, kick, and throw shurikens.
Channel 6 Boss – Master Sensei
He attacks with his spear and spawns tons of ninjas to overwhelm you. Kill the ninjas quickly and hit him while you can.
Simpsons Stage 8 – Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
There are no enemies in this stage. You will have to face two final bosses.
Power Plant Bosses – Smithers and Mr. Burns
Smithers has bombs that he throws. He will drop a bomb on the ground which you can pick up to throw back at him. He will attack with his coat if you get close.
Mr. Burns is the final boss. He comes rolling in on a tank robot. This is a very long and difficult fight. I used 3 continues just at this part. Avoid his nuclear bombs as they do massive damage. He will eventually start punching with his robot arms. I found jump over his punches and hitting him was the best strategy. But you will get hit a lot.
Eventually Mr. Burns will be defeated and you will see the cut scene that you completed the entire game!
Best Tips and Tricks for this Classic Beat’em Up
Enemies will attack horizontally only. I found that I could move up or down from an enemy to avoid their attacks easily and then go in for hits when they miss. Repeat this dodging strategy and you should be able to save the most coins for continues.
Hit the normal henchman with a jump attack. This attack is quick so you most likely won’t be hit. It takes two of these attacks to kill them. So hit them again right when they get up from the first hit. They will be stunned and won’t be able to punch you before you kill them.
Your special jump attack can kill these normal henchman in one shot. Move vertically to avoid their attacks and use one special attack to kill them instantly.
Take advantage of items. If you die with an item you will lose it. The game usually has these items in difficult sections of the stage.
The Simpsons Arcade Game Review
It took me about an hour and a half to complete the entire game by myself. It was short but I felt it was a good amount of time before I got bored. An hour or two is the perfect play through length to play if you are standing at a barcade with friends.
The gameplay is repetitive but that is just how a lot of classic arcade beat’em ups are. You hit enemies a bunch of times and try to stay alive. I felt like I could smash buttons to get through the game.
The game is really hard and unforgiving. I had to put a total of 20 coins in because of all the times I died. I am not the best gamer, though. For the average person, you will be dying a lot each stage.
I loved the interactive and colorful environments. It is especially fun if you are a fan of The Simpsons. You could see lots of things happening in the background and could pick up signs or potted plants to throw at enemies.
Where to Play The Simpsons Arcade Game
Play Online
Check out PlayRetroGames.com to play all kinds of retro games and classic arcade games. I played The Simpsons on this website and it worked very well. I could save my game and use as many coins and continues I needed to finally beat the game. This website does not give the same feel as with the retro joystick and buttons on the cabinet.
Find a Local Barcade
Look at websites of local barcades near you. Because The Simpsons arcade cabinet is pretty popular they will most likely have it available for you to play. A bonus is that you can buy drinks or food while you play.
Buy your own Simpsons Arcade Cabinet
I have included a few Amazon affiliate links below for you to check out where to buy a cabinet to play The Simpsons at your house.
Look on Amazon to buy the original Simpsons arcade cabinet. I love the bright blue style and makes me feel nostalgic just looking at it. It has four controls for four people to play.
The Ultimate Upright Arcade Machine from Prime Arcades – This is such a great option if you are interested in playing more classic arcade games. It has over 3,000 arcade games, which includes The Simpsons. Four player controls. Easy to setup and play. Great support. It is expensive but well worth the price with the amount of games and quality of the cabinet.
This hits to my soul as an older gamer and an arcade junkie. This is good content keep it up.
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