It’s been a while, but Scott Pilgrim, the boy who doesn’t want to grow up, is back in his first video game since then. Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game 16 years ago. This time Tribute is leading the project, the same team that gave us the amazing Marvel’s Cosmic Invasion a few months ago as well Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge in 2022. In other words, Scott Pilgrim EX it’s not just a tribute, but a banger.
Available On: Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Switch
Updated On: PS5
Developed by: Tribute Games
Published by: Tribute Games
In relation to the entire world of Scott Pilgrim, the game is a sequel to the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Netflix series, which is itself a sequel to the original graphic novel series. It also has no connection to the movie, which was based on a graphic novel. It’s a little confusing where it fits into the timeline since it ignores the graphic novel but it also doesn’t, but honestly, it doesn’t matter – you’ll be fine even if you don’t know all about Scott and Ramona.
Then there’s the old game, Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Gamedeveloped and published by Ubisoft. Technically, this new title has nothing to do with it, but as soon as you pick up the controller it feels incredibly familiar – stat upgrades, buying food and video tapes, visuals, bits of the combat system. And that’s because Jonathan Lavigne, Jean-François Major, and Justin Cyr, who worked on the first Scott Pilgrim game at Ubisoft Montreal and Chengdu, went on to found Tribute Games.
The result is that Scott Pilgrim EX better version Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game. If you liked the original, you’ll probably enjoy the spiritual follow-up. And that’s the end of the review.
wait Sorry, no. There is more.
Actually someone has been digging through time, and the resulting damage means there are time travelers floating around and weird little rifts, so now demons and other nonsense are wandering around town like confused tourists. Scott and the gang must fix this by finding the missing members of Scott’s band and their instruments, as well as finding riffs to use to open new areas. Oh, and there are plenty of bosses to kick around, too. Like Miss Casa Vania.
Indeed, that is the case and it is right. As a side-scrolling brawler, I’m not here for narrative depth. I just want a basic outline drawn in crayon, and a bunch of stuff to punch. Scott Pilgrim EX it offers both.
The list of this game includes a total of 7 characters: Scott Pilgrim and his girlfriend Ramona Flowers, Roxie, Gideon, Lucas Lee, Robot-01 and Mathew Pattel. While you can’t swap between them on the fly, you can return to the gang house at almost any time and switch to another character if you fancy a change. And up to three other people can participate in some local and online brawling action.
The game does a good job of making each character feel different based on their moveset, so you’ll quickly pick a favorite. I usually shy away from the big, hulking wrist, but I found myself drawn to Lucas Lee and his love of hitting people in the face with a skateboard.
But let’s talk about arguing, because this is straightforward retro modern brawler, another entry in the mega-resurgence that continues to deliver banger after banger.
If you leave the difficulty dialed down you can merrily crush your way through hundreds of chumps, robots and vegan chumps lining the streets. Yes, you read that right: robots, vegans and demons are your main enemies. Easy attacks are mixed with a type of hard attack that can be changed based on the side you’re holding, and you have a hold button in case you want to throw some fools. Each character also has a special move that is perfect for dealing with hordes of enemies.
As you increase the difficulty, more advanced systems come into play. Each character has several unique technical attacks and moves based on a combination of directional input and the right button, as well as powerful and fast finishers. There’s an interesting hop attack that triggers certain invisible frames, allowing you to ignore enemy attacks and give ’em a quick slap in the face. In addition, there are charged attacks, weapons to pick up, blocking, wake-up moves, combos and more.
Oh, and there is help if you like to call someone to help you. This can range from bringing Lucas Lee’s iconic team to surprising everyone to Gideon the Cat tearing across the screen.
It’s not a deep combat system despite what it might seem like when you read the description. However, it strikes a good balance between being a good button-mashing time, and still has depth for people who want to up the difficulty and show off a bit.
Speaking of difficulty, however, I found the game’s balance to be low. As you play, you level up which in turn increases your stats, and you can buy a bunch of items that give you temporary and even permanent defects. The way this balances out means that when you start refreshing the game, you’ve actually got a decent challenge, but it doesn’t take long before your energy level goes up and by the end you’ll be hitting everything like you’re on steroids. It’s really crazy because New Game+ saves all your money, so you can jump into a new character and use load to supercharge his stats.
Structurally, this game abandons the linear format we usually see and instead Tribute has given us an interconnected world full of quests. You run back and forth between locations depending on where the story requires you to be, occasionally finding shortcuts and unlocking new stages.
As you spend a lot of time running back and forth on the map, frequently visiting places you’ve been to, you become more familiar with Toronto, whether it’s the tropical beach that hides a little ice time or the shopping district you often stop at to buy healing or permanent stat boosts.
On the other hand, the backtracking and button-mashing combat style leaves the game suffering from a heavy sense of repetition. That goes double when you consider that this style of game is meant to be replayed with different characters. If you enjoy speed running, it’s a good setup as each run will take 1-2 hours, with a Trophy/Achievement available for doing it after 90 minutes.
Ultimately, on replays I found myself running through a lot of areas, ignoring enemies to just get to the next big battle rather than spending all my time dealing with minions. And honestly, the game is clearly designed with this in mind because certain areas and events lock you in an area until everyone is killed or an objective is reached, and if you’re just in the world, you can ignore the enemies unless you want to farm money.
But even though things can get a little repetitive, the presentation never stops being great. Whether it’s eyeballs or earholes, both will be pleased Scott Pilgrim EX he pulls out. Paul Robertson, lead artist and animator of the original game, has been brought back Exas Anamanaguchi did with the song. Both deliver on all levels. The game looks amazing, capturing the 16-bit vibe, the original game and the new Netflix show. And that soundtrack? I’m a lesbian too, and yes, that one Scott Pilgrim vs World movie reference, so stop writing those angry comments.
In conclusion…
Scott Pilgrim EX it’s exactly what it sounds like: a loving throwback to the original game, but polished, expanded and given a few modern touches. The combat is satisfying, the system is fun to explore and the pixel art and music are an absolute triumph.
Of course, the scaling gets a little wonky once your stats start to climb, and the regression can make things feel repetitive for long periods of time. But when you’ve got a few friends on the couch or online and you’re beating up vegan henchmen while Anamanaguchi blasts away in the background, it’s hard to complain too much.
If you like it Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Gamethen Scott Pilgrim EX it’s basically the sequel you’ve been waiting fifteen years for. I don’t think it stands at the height of modern retro brawler Renaissance, but it’s pretty close.
