Scott Pilgrim EX takes a different approach than the previous Scott Pilgrim beat-em-up, which works in some ways and feels a bit stiff in others. Despite the slightly wonky format, the aesthetic and gameplay are excellent, and there are lots of fun nods for fans of the source material to eat up in this tight title.
Scott Pilgrim EX
Developer: Tribute Games
Price: $30
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review.
The Scott Pilgrim franchise – be it the books, film, show, or soundtracks – has played a large part in my growth as a person. I was entering high school when the movie came out, so I decided to read the novels ahead of time. I went all-in from there, diving right into the game and, as a result of that, the Anamanaguchi soundtrack. When I heard they’d be making a new game, Scott Pilgrim EX, that spark of youthful enjoyment was reignited, especially since Tribute Games made titles like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and Marvel: Cosmic Invasion. For the most part, they did another great job.
As you can expect at this point from Tribute Games, maneuvering around the screen and hitting enemies is incredibly satisfying. Each hit has a certain “thud” to it that conveys weight despite the smooth, 2D gameplay; with combos feeling even better to pull off. All of the playable characters have their own unique attacks and combos, as well as flashy special attacks that fit their vibes. Assist characters are especially useful this time around, with some (Young Neil) being wildly powerful. Regardless of their power, they’re all flashy and fitting for their characters, further showing how much love for Scott Pilgrim was poured into this game.
The leveling system is surprisingly complex in Scott Pilgrim EX, allowing you to power up different stats to make your characters stronger, more defensive, etc. Eating certain foods or getting lucky drops from foes lets you level up specific stats, making for a meaningful sense of progression throughout your runs. I do wish there were a few more playable characters to mess around with, as the choices seem a bit scattered with some major people missing, but the odd character choices also serve as an interesting feature of the game. There are a couple of fighters I never expected to be playable, making for a rather unique Scott Pilgrim experience.
Unlike the previous game, Scott Pilgrim EX is less linear than a regular beat-em-up. You spend the whole game running around a multi-screen Toronto hub world, covering areas from the more suburban neighborhoods to the more major streets downtown. You’re given several objectives throughout the five-or-so hours that a story playthrough will run you, typically involving finding specific objects then fighting bosses.
There’s a lot of running back and forth between the left and right ends of the map, which gets a bit tiring. You see a lot more of the same locations than you would in a more linear beat-em-up, so while being able to do some minimal exploring is neat, I’m not sure it’s worth the trade-off of dealing with additional monotony.
Scott Pilgrim EX is a pixelated love letter to Scott Pilgrim and Toronto.
The pixel art in Scott Pilgrim EX is wonderful, perfectly emulating Bryan Lee O’Malley’s iconic style from the graphic novels. Seeing all of these characters and Toronto venues so flawlessly captured in crisp pixel art is delightful, as I never thought I’d see a widely released game portray Honest Ed’s (may it rest in peace). Though I’d say the Anamanaguchi soundtrack isn’t quite as immediately memorable as that of the original Scott Pilgrim vs. the World game, it’s still fantastic and perfectly suited to the game’s tone.
The Final Word
Scott Pilgrim EX is a strong follow-up to the nearly 16-year-old original beat-em-up that builds on most of its ideas. Though the format is a bit less enjoyable than a more straightforward game in this genre would be, the amount of passion for the source material and the satisfying feel of combat should be more than enough to make this a worthwhile buy for fans of Scott Pilgrim, beat-em-ups, or an especially solid purchase for fans of both.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
