Over the last few years, the beat-em-up genre has gone through a bit of a resurgence. For the most part, Tribute Games have led the charge with games based on familiar IPs. I’ve adored a lot of its most recent games, such as Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. Needless to say, then, when Tribute Games announced that Scott Pilgrim would be making his rightful return to the side-scrolling version of Toronto, I was extremely excited.
Scott Pilgrim is a cult classic franchise that started with an underrated graphic novel, before being adapted into a beloved film from Edgar Wright, and a somewhat divisive anime. While the gaming-inspired series had a beat-em-up adaptation that was briefly lost to time, since then, the character hasn’t made any further appearances in the medium. Now, though, he’s back, in Scott Pilgrim EX.
Scott Pilgrim EX boasts a new story that takes place after the events of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, alongside a new visual style and the returning musical talents of Anamanaguchi. It also features a surprising cast of characters, as alongside working alongside his girlfriend, Ramona Flowers, Scott must also team up with his former enemies, the Seven Evil Exes. How does Scott Pilgrim EX balance all of these new elements while still managing to stay true to the core of the franchise? Personally, I thought this was one of Tribute Games’ best beat-em-ups to date, though still not devoid of some fairly notable issues.
“Hello, Again, Friend of a Friend…”
Scott Pilgrim EX begins at some point after the events of the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off anime. Scott and Ramona Flowers’ relationship is still going strong, and the former is preparing for another performance alongside his band, Sex Bob-Omb. However, the mysterious Metal Scott suddenly appears during practice, attacking his human counterpart and kidnapping his bandmates. After Ramona comes to his aid, the two decide to request the aid of the recently reformed Seven Evil Exes in order to find Metal Scott, save Sex Bob-Omb, and uncover the truth behind this mysterious plot.
The story of Scott Pilgrim EX is fantastic and feels like the perfect extension of the original comic, film adaptation, and anime. As a huge fan of all of the above, it was so satisfying to see Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, and the rest of their supporting cast again as they once more fight against the forces of evil. The addition of the Exes is also great and feels perfectly natural, especially after the steps Takes Off took to further humanize the characters. Sure, none of the characters are voiced, so you’re not gonna see Michael Cera reprise his role as Scott, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona, or Chris Evans as Lucas Lee, among others, but their charm and personality remain intact to such a degree that you can almost imagine their voices as you read their dialogue.
Speaking of charm, the visuals of Scott Pilgrim EX feel like a great upgrade over Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. It mixes the style of Science Saru’s work on the anime with the look of EX‘s spiritual predecessor to make something that feels both retro and modern. Fighting through Toronto and its many multiversal variants brings a wide variety of different locales and characters that all look incredible, even when played on my Steam Deck.
The soundtrack also does a great job at marrying styles from both the past and present. Anamanaguchi provided the soundtrack to both Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and their understanding of the world of “20XX Toronto” is immaculate. Some tracks feel like the sort of song that you’d hear in a Mega Man level, while others feel more akin to modern drum and bass. Despite the differences in sound, every song in the OST sounds great, with little to no instances where I found myself growing tired of it.
The visuals, soundtrack, and story are all handled really well, and you’ll get a kick out of it even if you’re not too familiar with the Scott Pilgrim universe. If you are, though, then this game is definitely a must-play. What made Scott Pilgrim EX so brilliant in my eyes was how well it paid tribute to previous entries in the series. There are references to the film and the anime, yes, but also characters from the comics that weren’t really highlighted in either. One of the most notable examples is fan-favorite Lisa Miller, who was only referenced in previous adaptations and now plays a notable role in the narrative.
This also applies to the endings. Without getting too far into spoilers, depending on the character you use to beat the game, you get a different end screen that wraps up their story in a neat little bow. It’s a satisfying conclusion, regardless of who you pick, as it serves as a great addendum to the stories of characters we have been following for over 20 years. I can only hope that this story continues even beyond that.
Still, the story is easily the least important aspect of a beat-em-up. The overall quality of a game in the genre comes down to just how fun it is to play. Thankfully, the gameplay loop of Scott Pilgrim EX is extremely fun, despite its disappointing length.
Scott, Ramona, and the Seven Exes Vs. The World
From a distance, Scott Pilgrim EX may not seem too exciting if you’ve played other beat-em-ups in the past. There’s a degree of familiarity when you pick up the game for the first time, and for the most part, it doesn’t really add any major innovations that make it different from other entries in the genre. You have a big cast of characters to choose from, a unique set of moves, a super move you can build up towards, and items and upgrades you can find at stores around town.
When you start playing for the first time, you can choose between one of seven characters: Scott, Ramona, Lucas Lee, Gideon Graves, Roxie Richter, Matthew Patel, and Robot-01. There are, of course, options to play with others through either online or local play. Despite that, though, I wanted to try playing the entire game solo and see how fun it was by myself. Unlike other beat-em-ups I’ve played recently, though, I had an absolute blast even while playing solo.
Part of the enjoyment of Scott Pilgrim EX comes from just how satisfying the combat feels. In other beat-em-ups I’ve played, my attacks rarely feel like they do damage, while those dealt by opponents would stunlock me within seconds. Here, your chosen character feels strong without feeling overpowered. There were very few moments when I felt the game was unfairly difficult. Combos are easy to execute, and each character has a drastically different and unique playstyle. For example, Lucas Lee fits into the “wrestler” archetype, meaning he focuses entirely on grappling.
Further, Roxie Richter is all about moving quickly and dealing quick strikes, while Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers serve as the game’s all-rounders. I personally found myself gravitating towards Gideon Graves’ playstyle, who is described as a “pressure” character capable of dealing high damage if you’re willing to get up close and personal with your opponents. There is a part of me that wishes there were more incentive to pick multiple characters, as I played as Gideon throughout the entire story, and had very little desire to try anyone else. Even still, based on the little time I did spend trying everyone else out, each character feels viable and fun to use.
The best and most compelling aspect that differentiates it from most other beat-em-ups is its approach to world design. Rather than a linear level-by-level approach, Scott Pilgrim EX opts for a massive open city that you can freely explore, similar to the River City Girls games. Unlike those games, though, the thrill of being able to explore the world of Scott Pilgrim is automatically more compelling.
When you run into a store to grab food or a stat upgrade, you may run into a beloved character from the original comics. As you’re trying to progress the story, you’ll end up in an alternate dimension called “Casa Vania,” which is a comically unsubtle nod to the Castlevania series. Plus, at certain points, you’ll fight a different version of Matthew Patel from another universe. Being able to naturally discover these references as you progress or as you explore on your own free will makes this world feel more alive than others in the genre. Even now, I can recount some of my favorite areas in the game as if I just experienced them a few minutes ago.
Still, even in spite of all of Scott Pilgrim EX‘s high points, it suffers from a few major issues. For starters, I don’t think seven playable characters at launch are enough. While the choice to omit beloved cast members like Knives Chau or Kim Pine, the omission of Todd Ingram, and the lack of any unlockable characters once you beat the game do stick out like a sore thumb. I can only hope that we get more additions to the roster in the months after launch.
Easily, though, the biggest problem at the heart of EX is its length. I managed to beat the game in one sitting, and for the most part, I didn’t take notice of how long it took until I reached the credits. Once I checked the time, I realized that it only took me three hours to beat the game. While I did miss some collectibles here and there, I still took a lot of time to explore and backtrack in order to do some of the extra challenges. The game feels extremely short, and while it does make the most of its length, it did make me question if $28.99 was worth it for an experience with such a short runtime.
Despite these issues, Scott Pilgrim EX is still a great beat-em-up. It may not be perfect, but it’s a fantastic addition to a deeply underrated franchise and serves as one of my favorite beat-em-ups of the last few years.
Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life Continues…?
Ever since the original Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life comic was released, the franchise has always been overshadowed by unforeseen circumstances. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was released right in the middle of the recession, its video game adaptation was delisted due to licensing issues, and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off wasn’t quite the anime adaptation people were expecting.
Similarly, Scott Pilgrim EX was released in the same week as Marathon and Pokémon Pokopia, which meant that it was quickly swept under the rug by the general public. It’s truly a shame, because EX is already one of my favorite games I’ve played this year. Yes, there are some major problems that it suffers from, namely that, even for a beat-em-up, a roster of only seven characters and the runtime of 3 hours is barely enough to justify the $28.99 price point. Yet, Scott Pilgrim EX is still worth the price of admission because of just how charming the presentation is and how much fun the gameplay is.
The narrative is a fun ride from beginning to end, filled with twists and turns that will keep you on your toes, regardless of your interest in the Scott Pilgrim series. The nods to characters from the franchise, though, are sure to strike a chord for those who have been following these characters for over twenty years. Further, the gameplay doesn’t fall into the same repetitive pitfalls as its contemporaries, thanks to great controlling characters, great difficulty balance, and level design that feels more open rather than linear.
While the price may be a hard ask for some, I highly recommend giving Scott Pilgrim EX, especially if you’re a fan of Scott Pilgrim or the beat-em-up genre. I can only hope that, considering the way the game ends, we get a follow-up at a later date. Whether if its with DLC, a sequel, a new anime, a new film, or even a new comic, I will be there no matter what to see how Scott Pilgrim’s “precious little life” continues.
Disclaimer: Tribute Games provided a PC (Steam) copy of Scott Pilgrim EX for review purposes.
