Play Barts Nightmare Online

Bart’s Nightmare is one of those weird, fever-dream SNES platformers that somehow works. You start off as Bart trying (and failing) to stay awake to finish his homework—next thing you know, he’s passed out, and you’re jumping between these bizarre dream worlds. One minute you’re dodging Itchy & Scratchy’s ridiculous cartoon violence, the next you’re shrunk down fighting white blood cells in his veins. The levels are all over the place, but in a good way—each one feels like its own little game.

It’s not the smoothest platformer out there, and some of the mechanics are janky (good luck with that floating book level), but there’s something charming about how unpredictable it is. You never know what nightmare you’ll get tossed into next. Definitely one of those "had to be there" 90s games, but if you like weird, challenging platformers, it’s worth a shot.