Video games based on licensed properties are a mixed bag. More often than not, these games are made as a quick cash grab to piggy-back off the popularity of the IP. Sometimes, however, they end up being really well-made games that stand alone from their subject material. Such was the case with Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game when it released back in August of 2010. Originally available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the arcade-style beat’em up released to critical success. 4 years later the game was quietly delisted from Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, due to the license expiring. This is unfortunately commonplace for licensed video games. No longer being available to purchase, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game developed quite the cult following. To celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary, Ubisoft renewed their license. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game Complete Edition released on Xbox, PS4, Switch and PC on January 14th, 2021.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game Complete Edition is exactly that; A complete edition. This release is jam-packed with the original cult classic and both DLC packs. There is a lot of content packed into one package. That said, the lack of any actual new material is a bit of a letdown. While this doesn’t detract from the actual game itself, it does seem like a bit of a lazy effort. It’s been 10 years since Scott Pilgrim’s initial release, surely there was time to add some additional features. Even with the lack of new content, this release offers up hours upon hours of content.
A Story Of Young Love
Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game shares a very similar plot to both the graphic novel and the movie. Titular character Scott Pilgrim meets and falls in love with Ramona Flowers. Getting in over his head he must fight to gain Ramona’s affection. Scott sets off on a journey, traveling through the subspace, to take on each of Ramona’s exes. Dubbed the League of Evil Exes, each of them challenges Scott for the privilege to be with Ramona. While the game adaptation is fairly light on story, vs the comic or movie, it still retains the same overall plot point. It’s a retro-inspired game, so the cliff notes version is actually pretty well-fitted. That said, the story does deviate from its original source material. After all, this is Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game. There’s plenty of video game tropes thrown into the mix. I’m fairly certain there weren’t any zombies or space aliens in the motion picture adaptation!
Gameplay
At its core, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game is a love letter to the 2D arcade-style beat’em up genre. Players can choose from the 6 playable characters available, ranging from Scott, Ramona, Knives, Stephen, Kim, and Wallace. Each character’s move set plays fairly differently. For first playthroughs, Scott is the recommended character. Once a character is selected, they must travel through the game’s 7 areas, taking on waves upon waves of tough foes. Scott must face enemies ranging from goons in the alleyway, undead nightmares, to even hijacked robots. Each enemy type has a range of different movesets, which in turn forces Scott to use his wide variety interchangeably.
There are many additional moves and power-ups Scott can learn on his journey. Most of these can be acquired by purchasing them from the game’s various shops. These items will take the form of comic books, movies, and edibles. Experimenting around with purchases is part of the fun. You never really know what new abilities an item might grant! This does add a bit to the game’s difficulty, especially if this is a first playthrough. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game can definitely get painfully difficult at times, especially later in the game. Thankfully, there is a cheat code feature tucked away. While not all cheats are created equally, some can be used to help progress. I highly recommend playing around with the Konami Code. The campaign can be played solo, or with up to 3 additional players. Playing with more people definitely decreases the game’s difficulty. That said, I personally find the experience best either solo or with one additional player.
Additional Modes
Aside from Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game’s main story, it offers additional game modes. These modes were originally available through the original release’s downloadable content, and offer up a break from the traditional game. Survival Horror mode pits the character of choice up against an endless wave of undead zombies. Players must take them down in an effort to stay alive for as long as possible. Dodge Ball mode offers up a little nod to the River City Ransom spinoff series Super Dodge Ball. This mode allows players to compete in taking down foes with nothing but a single large dodgeball. Boss Rush mode allows players to take on all of the game’s boss characters. While tough as nails, this mode is a blast to pick up and play. The final mode, Battle Royal, is the only additional mode that cannot be played single player. This mode pits 2-4 players in a single ring, forcing them to brawl until there is one person left standing.
Uniquely Retro Feel
As previously mentioned, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game is heavily inspired by retro beat ’em ups. Not only in its gameplay but also in its visuals. The game takes on a 16-bit art style, complete with retro-looking sprites. The graphics honestly look like something that could have actually come from the 90s. The backgrounds are varied and full of life while retaining a very nostalgic retro feel. The artists behind the graphics need to be applauded, as not only are the visuals very fitting for the time period they were replicating, but the characters are true to their source material. All of the characters look almost identical to their manga counterparts but actually fit perfectly into the game’s 16-bit world. This was absolutely a mashup done right! Staying true to its inspiration, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game also features retro-themed audio design. Everything from the sound effects to the actual music sound as if they could have come from an arcade. Back in 2010, the game’s soundtrack really stood out. The fact that it still holds up in 2021 is a testament to how amazing the music really is. The upbeat retro-inspired chiptune music really slams, and is a perfect fit for the action-packed gameplay.
Not Without Its Faults
As fun as Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game is, the Complete Edition isn’t without its faults. Many of the game’s original issues still persist in this complete edition release. A major issue encountered is getting stuck in areas, unable to progress through the wave. This occurred during the Transit level of my playthrough. Another issue encountered occurred when trying to play a network game. Typically, this mode would allow players to play through the game’s story cooperatively online. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any games started. The online features of this game are incredibly unstable, and should really be worked out in a patch. With this feature not working, and there being no actual new content, this re-release can’t help but feel a bit lazy. Adding in a brand new character, or some additional new levels would have been a big positive. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game Complete Editon is essentially just a modern-day port, bundling the main game with both DLC packs.
Closing Thoughts
Back when Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game originally release, it proved that retro-inspired gameplay was still in high demand. Over 10 years later, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game now proves that the game has held up incredibly well. It still retains that retro feel, while not feeling dated in its control scheme. The biggest issue this complete package is plagued with is its lack of extra oomph. While this re-release includes a lot of content, it fails to offer up anything new. That said, it did resurrect a fantastic game, once thought to be lost to the subspace. Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game can now finally be played on modern hardware, and is no longer a game lost to time.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game Complete Edition is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC via Epic Games and Ubisoft Store. Digital copies retail for $14.99 USD. Pre-orders for the physical and Limited Editions are available exclusively at Limited Run Games.
A digital copy of the game was provided by Ubisoft for the purpose of this review.
