The Simpsons is an arcade game developed by Konami, released in 1991, and the second video game based upon The Simpsons franchise, following Bart vs. The Space Mutants. A side-scrolling beat ‘em up for up to four players, with each one playing a member of the Simpson family as they fight various enemies in order to rescue the kidnapped Maggie: Marge, who swings her vacuum cleaner; Homer who punches and kicks; Bart, who wields his skateboard; and Lisa, who attacks with a jump rope. Along with the standard array of jumping and attacking, two players can team up to form a joint attack, which differs depending on which characters are used. Players can also pick up food items to restore health, as well as objects they can throw at enemies and items that temporarily power up their attacks. Players are given a small number of lives, which are lost if the player’s life bar runs out. At certain points in the game, players compete against each other in button-bashing mini-games to earn additional points.
