Hello, Old Friend....Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game.....Comes Home
Video games are one of the newest forms of media and many consider them to be a form of art. Yet, just like all art, the medium of video games has run into difficulties, especially when it comes to preservation. With the rise of digital distribution, many games are only available for as long as the company who owns them allows them to be sold. Games with online components cease to be fully functional when their servers are shut down, and sometimes, entire games are pulled from public access. Such was the case for Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game, A 2D beat-em-up game released to promote the film Scott Pilgrim VS. The World back in 2010. The game was available for four years, and then pulled from all digital storefronts when Ubisoft lost the rights to the film and comic it was based on. For years, it remained a poster child of video games lost to time thanks to the digital-only nature of it. The game was not accessible to any new fans of the comic or film, and even if you were to try to play it on an emulator, it wouldn’t function properly. Thankfully, after seven years of waiting and fervent calls for its revival, Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game is back – ported to Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, and is even being given its own physical release thanks to Limited Run Games! I owned the game on the Xbox 360, but there was downloadable content I missed out on, so I’m very eager to jump back in!
Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game is, in my opinion, one of the greatest beat-em-up games ever made. It follows the same plot of the 2010 film, but more so than that, it’s an adaptation of the original comics by Bryan Lee O’Malley. You are Scott Pilgrim, a boy in love with a girl named Ramona Flowers. In order to keep dating, you must defeat Ramona’s Seven Evil Exes, powerful and unique characters you have to battle to through the streets of Toronto, Canada. Despite there being no voice acting or dialogue boxes, the story is told effortlessly through beautiful music and artwork in between levels of the game. You can play alone or with up to three friends, locally or online.
Seven Evil Exes: (L to R) Matthew Patel, Lucas Lee, Todd Ingram, Gideon Gordon Graves, Roxanne "Roxie" Richter, Kyle & Ken Katayanagi
The battle system is simple to understand, but a challenge to master, much like Streets of Rage 4. Every character shares the same move list, but each character’s attacks are relatively unique. This makes the cast of seven playable characters all feel different to play, something invaluable to the game and its replay value. The game’s only punishment for running out of lives is having to start the level you died on all over again, a much more forgiving system than River City Girls, which not only made you start over but also took half of your money.
Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game rewards exploration, with various shops and secrets to be found in each level as you progress through it. The game looks phenomenal, with expressive, detailed pixel art throughout every level and character sprite. Finally, the music is some of the best to have ever been put to a video game. Most times when I play a game, I remember moments from the story or cool gameplay mechanics. Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game was the very first video game to ever make me take notice of a video game’s music, thanks to the brilliant and catchy sounds of chiptune band Anamanaguchi. I’ve owned the soundtrack to the game longer than this game has actually been available for sale!
Knives Chau
That’s not to say that the game isn’t without some flaws. Scott Pilgrim VS. The World’s fast paced combat stops dead when your character gets knocked down, and it takes roughly 3-4 seconds to get up no matter what you do early on. It’s only after leveling your character up considerably that you get the ability to recover in midair to prevent this lapse in gameplay. I understand why they locked certain moves away for progression, to make you feel like you were getting stronger, but having to wait so long for such a basic function feels like a mistake to me. Additionally, despite being touted as the “Complete Edition”, with all DLC included, the character of Knives Chau is unavailable to any who buy the game and don’t link it to a Ubisoft Uplay account. You only have to do this once, but it’s still incredibly disheartening. This presents a similar problem that the game overall faced before – if for any reason, the Uplay service is discontinued, Knives Chau will become inaccessible for any new purchasers of the game. Hopefully that requirement is removed in a future patch, so that the game can truly be complete.
With that said, Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game still remains one of the finest beat-em-up games in the genre, with addictively fun gameplay, an incredible soundtrack and some of the most charming art around. It’s one game you may have missed growing up, but one you absolutely owe to yourself to pick up.
Also, Thank You Bryan Lee O’Malley for the great story line.
-Score-
Gameplay: 4/5
This has some of the best action in the beat-em-up genre, but one or two nitpicks like the lack of recovery in the early game keep it from being absolutely perfect.
Graphics: 5/5
Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game has the most charming, expressive pixel art I’ve ever seen. Other games in this art style, to me, will always have to measure up to this.
Difficulty: 3/5
While it can be tough, Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game never feels impossible. Grinding in early levels to buy the right gear and power-ups will get you victory in due time. The game sports three different difficulty modes, allowing for accessibility for those who want a greater or lesser challenge.
Replayability: 5/5
The Beat-em-up gameplay and fun, bright atmosphere often calls me back to play more Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game. With each character having their own set of attacks, levels and even endings, this is a game that will keep me coming back for a long time.
