- Developer: Engine Software, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Chengdu, Ubisoft Pune Production
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Release date: 14/1/2021
- Price: £11.99 / $14.99
- Review code provided by Ubisoft
Introducing: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World™: The Game – Complete Edition Switch Review
I fear that I was a little late to the party when it came to Scott Pilgrim. I had seen trailers for the movie in high school but never got around to actually seeing it, and instead picked the graphic novels up from the library a few years later. I devoured them quickly and really liked them (though they would hit me harder when I returned to them a few years after that in college), but my coming late left me with one unfortunate side effect. By the time I found out that there was a Scott Pilgrim video game, it had already been delisted everywhere.
I have to wonder if this delisting was something that brought much more attention to the game after the fact. We do tend to always want what we can’t have, after all. Either way, the delisting was something that elevated this game to something of a cult status and now, not too long after the tenth anniversary of the Edgar Wright film, it’s returned for us all to give it a shot again.
Gear up for Battle
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game doesn’t have anything really in the way of dialog, or even an explanation of what is going on. That’s because it’s really a game that was made for people who are already familiar with the source material. By source material, I actually mean the graphic novels. While the game might take its name from the film (which took its name from the second volume of the series), the contents found here resemble the graphic novels more not only in look but in content. However, even if you’ve just seen the movie, it should still all be at least familiar to you.
Scott Pilgrim is a 23-year-old Canadian slacker/musician, who has found himself interested in Ramona Flowers, an enigmatic girl with brightly colored hair. He strikes up a relationship with her, but things get a little more complicated than anticipated when it’s revealed that in order to continue dating Ramona, Scott must face off with and battle to the death Ramona’s 7 Evil EXes. That’s not precisely what the game plot is because you do have the option to play as characters other than Scott, which would change the idea a little, but that is still the setup for going through all these levels. However, playing as each of the characters does have it’s own ending. Only one of these is clearly the real ending and is canon to the series, but these alternate endings are still pretty fun to enjoy for a laugh.
Fighting in the Name of Love
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is a beat ’em up that features several playable characters. You of course have the titular Scott Pilgrim and his love interest Ramona Flowers, but along for the journey in the base game were Kim Pine and Stephan Stills, Scott’s bandmates. There’s also another unlockable character that I dare not spoil here. Due to all the previously released DLC for the game being included, you also have access to the characters Knives Chau, Scott’s own ex who served as a summon character, and Wallace Wells, Scott’s roommate. Each of the characters controls fundamentally the same, but there are subtle differences that give each of them their own spice. However, there’s not so much of a difference that you’re going to be left fretting if you don’t get to play as your preferred character.
Once you’ve picked your character, you’re then going to move through each of the worlds of the game, battling your way through all sorts of enemies and some mini-bosses here and there until you reach the final boss of the level and can move on to the next. It’s simple enough, but with enough enemies, it can get pretty hectic, even on the lower difficulties. In your arsenal you have a light and heavy attack, the ability to pick up objects to either use them as weapons or throw at enemies, a last-ditch attempt attack that thins out your surroundings for some more breathing room, and a summon. Those last two consume your Guts Points, which you might prefer to hold onto as they will become your health if you get downed with some still on you, rather than a life being immediately lost. It’s nice little implementation of some risk vs reward play that can serve to give players that are struggling a little more a second chance.
However, I was less pleased with how the combat actually felt. I don’t think it’s bad, but it just feels pretty sluggish in comparison to how snappy the game world is. The walking speed is an absolute snail’s pace compared to the running speed, often making me wonder why it was there in the first place. Movement itself is also stiff. The characters seem to want to just stick to the 4 cardinal directions most of the time so anything diagonal in any way tends to feel awkward and stilted. As satisfying it can be to knock down enemies, the limited options to keep whaling on them afterwards meant that there were times where I was just standing there and waiting for an enemy to get back up so I could punch them some more.
The Power of Friendship
I wouldn’t recommend playing alone, since the enemies can feel a bit like they are damage sponges and it’s going to be slow going. This is a game that’s definitely built to be played with multiple people. The couch co-op worked great, but since we have all the DLC additions, that means that online multiplayer is on the table for those of us who don’t have friends who we can sucker into playing a few sessions with us. However, the downside to this is that the online component only serves as a stage select version of the standard game. You can get the experience of playing the game by just tackling the stages in order, however, this will not count as a completion of the game as far as I can tell. So, it’s fine if you just want some playtime without unlocking things.
It’s also a little disappointing that there was no addition in the multiplayer that would allow for the bonus modes to be played in online multiplayer. It would have been a perfect time to add it since it was a fresh launch and these modes are also mostly geared towards multiplayer play.
Bonuses Galore!
Oh that’s right! I nearly forgot to mention that there are some bonus modes here. So, half of these were secret unlocks in the original game, from what I can tell, and the other half were added by one of the DLCs. However, in this release, they’re all available from the start. So what do we have?
- Boss Rush – A mode where you take on each of the bosses of the game one after another. Perfect for those who just want to do the more exciting fights without wading through the sea of enemies that come before.
- Survival Horror – In this mode, the goal is to survive as long as possible against a hoard of zombies that increase in both number and aggression the more of them you knock out.
- Battle Royal – Doing it before it was cool, this mode lets you go head to head with your fellow players to determine which of you is really the best at this game.
- Dodge Ball – Just what it says on the tin. It’s like the Battle Royal mode, but you can only hurt each other with a ball that’s been dropped in the game.
I think all of these are perfectly serviceable, but the lack of any online multiplayer does take a bit of the lustre off. The only issues that I took were a lack of music in Survival Horror and the fact that there aren’t any easily visible health bars in Dodge Ball.
A True Artiste
I personally have to give the biggest of props to the art team on this one. The pixel art that makes up every aspect of the game is bright and cheery with delightfully bouncy and lively animations. It’s by far my favourite aspect of the game, and just seeing clips of it online had been what had made me so upset that I had missed out on the game the first time it was available. It might be one of the best reasons to play each of the characters besides the gameplay variety, just to see all the unique animation and art that exists for each one. It’s really what gives each of the characters their personality, and what makes each of the bosses so dang memorable. It evokes so much of the original graphic novel’s style but still has a flavour all its own. There are also a lot of cute little visual references snuck into the backgrounds as well.
The music is another massive highlight. The game completes the whole look that it is going for with some absolutely rocking chiptunes that had me easily dancing along to them on the couch. It’s one of the reasons that the Survival Horror mode lacking any sort of music was really odd to me. Surely there could have been a great track themed off of old zombie or horror movies there, right?
A Touching Tribute
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is a brilliant tribute to the series and the movie from which it takes inspiration, enough so that fans of the series are sure to fall in love with it as a companion to the series. Even if you don’t know the series that well, though, there is still a lot to love here. There are some aspects that keep me from placing it in the highest echelons that I have to offer as a reviewer, however, that doesn’t make it unworthy of paying at least a little attention to.
Pros
- Amazing music
- Visuals that are to die for
- A great tribute for fans
Cons
- Online multiplayer does not extend to all aspects of the game
- Movement and combat feel sluggish
- Not a great experience playing offline and alone
Verdict
An excellent game for those who are already fans, and even those who just want to see what all the fuss is about, though it might fall short of all the hype for some.
