Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game first came out a little over a decade ago for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. It was released as a tie-in game alongside the release of the live-action movie, which had the same name. The game was quite the hit, so it came as a surprise to everyone when in 2014, Ubisoft pulled the game from all digital storefronts. Now, 7 years later, the game is back from the dead. Is it as enjoyable as it was back in the day? Does it hold up to the current generation's gaming standards? Let's find out. As a side note, the game's also available on PC this time around, which we already see as a point in its favour.
The game and the movie are both based on the Scott Pilgrim comic book, where Scott Pilgrim is trying to win the affections of one Ramona Flowers. While Ramona is all for it, she can't be with Scott until he defeats her seven evil ex-boyfriends and their minions. It sounds silly because it is. And the game knows this, which is some of the best kind of humour you can get: self-aware. The seven evil exes also sets up for seven different thematics when it comes to levels.
If you've played any 2D sidescroller brawlers before, such as Double Dragon, or Streets of Rage, you'll feel right at home with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. You've got a wide assortment of enemies heading your way to get the pulp beat out of them. And beating the pulp out of them is incredibly satisfying. You've got your standard punching, kicking, and throwing-stuff-at-people moves. Combined with the game's overall retro aesthetic, what you get is a really fun beat-em-up.
However, there are some potential downsides. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game has a bit of a grind to it. You see, in order to beat this beat-em-up, you're going to need to power up. This is done by purchasing permanent stat-boosting items from stores which you'll find at various levels as you progress through stages. The currency you'll be using are the coins that enemies drop when you defeat them. In addition to that, you've snacks which replenish health, and clothing items which provide added defenses. You can already see where we're going here with the grind part.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is not an easy beat-em-up to begin with, plus, it can turn people off with its grind. Also, the hitboxes could use some work. However, the grind does allow the game to feature some lite RPG elements, which in turn means that the game has a fairly decent replayability value.
In addition to Scott, his bandmates and Ramona are also playable. These guys also level up as you play, and each new level unlocks new attacks and combos that you can use. Each playable character features a unique moveset and different combos for you to master.
The retro aesthetic is pretty commonplace nowadays. For that matter, it was rare back in 2010 when the game first launched, but now, not so much. Still, the game's retro style pixel graphics and arcadey chiptune music compliment the overall presentation of the game really well. The comic books are very well represented by the game, and Anamanaguchi's soundtrack is one you'll want to keep listening to, even once you're done with the game.
This version of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game comes with all the extras that were once DLC, including Knives Chau and Wallace Wells as add-ons, and four extra game modes, including Zombie Hordes, Boss Rush, Dodgeball and Battle Royale. Most of these are pretty self-explanatory; Zombie Hordes has you facing off against a horde of zombies (duh), Boss Rush sees you taking on the game’s bosses in quick succession, Dodgeball features four players playing, well, dodgeball. Battle Royale is not the kind you're thinking. Instead, you're inside a wrestling ring; think Battle Royale before PUBG ever happened. These game modes are a great distraction from the main game if you’re feeling a bit burned out from the grind.
After seven years, the cult-classic is back, and nothing has changed. Which is actually a good thing in this case. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game has aged surprisingly well, and definitely still holds up as a fairly decent brawler/beat-em-up game. It's one of the few video game adaptations that stays true to its source material, and combines solid, fun, gameplay, with a timeless retro aesthetic.
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Chengdu[a]
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Played on: Microsoft Windows
Price: INR 749 (EGS)