Simpsons Level Pack Review

The Simpsons content in Dimensions has been really inconsistent. The Story Level is fun, but the characters from the series are barely involved with it, and the music isn’t taken from the show. Homer’s a decent character with some fun lines taken from the show, but then Bart doesn’t have a single line of dialogue! It’s obvious that something went wrong during license negotiations and the developers couldn’t get the rights to use everything. Thankfully though, the Simpsons Level Pack is pretty much on par with the rest of the game. You get a fun level based on a well-known Simpsons episode, with one of the best Adventure Worlds to boot.

The level included in the pack retells the events of the Simpsons episode “The Mysterious Voyage of Homer”. You know, the one where Homer hallucinates after eating a Guatemalan Insanity Pepper and speaks with the Johnny Cash coyote. You have to get Homer to the Chilli Cook-Off, help him eat sample each stall’s signature chilli, and then guide him on his journey to find his soulmate. They picked a good episode, as it provides some unique locations and a good variety of tasks to perform. Homer’s pepper-induced vision is a highlight, as the designers use the surreal nature of it to mess with gravity and perspective. The big downside of the level is that, like the other Simpsons content in the game, there’s a distinct lack of voice acting. The only plot-related dialogue comes from Homer and the Johnny Cash coyote. There’s a couple of background lines from Ralph and Moleman, but that’s it. The episode revolves around Homer and Marge resolving an argument, and yet Marge is totally silent whenever she’s present. The Chilli Cook-Off feels really lifeless when none of the characters react to anything. In the show there’s a lot of banter between Homer and the chefs, but in the level you only get Homer’s side of the conversations.

Nuclear waste fountain? Just another day in Springfield

The level suffers from the same problem that a fair few of the Level Pack levels possess, in that the puzzles are often incredibly simple due to the small pool of abilities you have to work with. You see a wall that can be pulled down with a vehicle – will you pull that down with Homer, his TV, or his car? Yeah, no guesses which one of the three you need. The game will even tell you “Hey, put this item down here in order to progress”, which is understandable given that you haven’t used these items before, but it does make some puzzles moot. Instead of working out what to do you’re just following the rote actions the game points out. There are a couple of sections that involve you having to do more than just activate a specific ability, especially in Homer’s dream sequence. One such section requires you to solve some relatively simple puzzles while simultaneously avoiding obstacles in a confined space. You’ll also need to be careful with your driving so that you don’t fall off the narrow ledges and have to retread your ground.

The level is relatively long, clocking in at about 30 minutes to an hour if you don’t take your time looking for collectibles. It doesn’t feel padded, either – each part of the level is an important part of the story. There’s a bunch of hidden nooks and crannies to find, and if you have the TARDIS from the Doctor Who Level Pack then there’s a decently-sized secret area you can travel to as well, that’s based off of a certain other cartoon. It does come to a rather sudden end, though. Other level packs have a boss battle or some big climactic puzzle at the end, but this one ends with you… well… building a ladder and entering a building. The episode ends with the lighthouse being repaired to save an incoming ship from crashing, which would have been a good final puzzle to end on here.

Thingy goes up, thingy goes down

This pack also grants you access to the Simpsons Adventure World, which is one of my favourites in the game. You get to see your favourite Simpsons characters and locations, including the Springfield Power Plant and Krustyland. You can even use a vehicle to jump across Springfield Gorge! It’s really cool being able to explore all these iconic places (and smash them to bits), and there’s actually some ambient dialogue from a few characters like Mayor Quimby and Grampa Simpson. Still nowhere near as much dialogue as other Adventure Worlds, but it makes the world feel much less lifeless than the two Simpsons levels.

Like the extra level, the Adventure World has a lot of variety in its locations. You can drive all the way up to the KBBL Radio Tower and get a great view of Springfield, and also go diving down to the bottom of the waters. Each area doesn’t feel empty, either – for example, Springfield Elementary has a few open classrooms you can climb into and cause havoc in, and you can go exploring the sewers running underneath the Power Plant.

I’m king of the world! Woohoo!

The character and items included in the pack, however, aren’t particularly exciting. Homer’s only abilities are Sonar Smash (which is incredibly common) and Super Strength (less common, but not frequently useful). He’s not particularly useful, but his design makes him fun to have in your party. Everything he does has oafish animations and sound effects, and he has a few funny interactions with other characters. His TV isn’t great before it’s upgraded because it has a gimmicky way of destroying Silver Bricks, which is something a lot of characters and vehicles can do much easier. But when you upgrade it, it becomes a robot that can destroy Gold Bricks, which is something you’ll need to do quite often. His car is fun to drive around the Adventure World like you’re playing a Simpsons game, but again it is more useful when upgraded. Its first upgrade turns it into a hovercraft, which can help you complete water races in Adventure Worlds, and its second upgrade turns it into a submarine. The submarine will allow you to take characters who can’t swim underwater, and its ability to destroy Silver Bricks underwater can help you get a few hidden collectibles. Having the models of the TV and car is pretty cool too, as they’re instantly recognisable bits of Simpsons merchandise.

I’m coming, Earl!

While the character and items you get in this pack aren’t the most exciting or useful, the level and Adventure World are a good bit of fun. The Simpsons content in this game is a bit iffy, and makes you wonder why the developers would stick with such a restrictive license, but there’s quite a bit of enjoyment to be had from this pack at least. You get a decent, albeit simple level as well as a really well-made Adventure World. While the pricing of the Level Packs in general are a bit iffy, the other two Simpsons characters in the game really aren’t worth getting, so this is the pack you’ll want to get for access to the Simpsons Adventure World. And that Adventure World is what makes this pack worthwhile, because while the level is fun and all it doesn’t justify the price on its lonesome.

This review was written based off a game or game content bought with the author’s own money. Review scores are designed to be directly compared with other expansions in the same series, not other series. We use the full 10 point scale 🙂