Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World – The Game (Switch)

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Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World – The Game first came out about 10 years ago as a digital only game on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems. The game was eventually delisted from these systems’ online stores, and only those who already downloaded it could play the game. While this game is a notorious case of the pitfalls of digital download only games, I am here to instead review a game I didn’t have a chance to play the first time around, as it wasn’t on any Nintendo systems. Now that it is on the Switch (and has a physical version), I can give this game a look to see how it holds up today.

First, some background information. Scott Pilgrim is a series of graphic novels that was turned into a movie called Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. My first experience with this franchise was with the movie, which looked weird in previews, but ended up being a fun rom-com with a lot of video game references and theming. I had since picked up the 6 graphic novels, and now I got to enjoy the game and have quite a few thoughts.

In every incarnation of the Scott Pilgrim world, the story features the titular character, Scott Pilgrim, who is trying to win the affections of Ramona Flowers. To do so, he has to fight her seven evil Exes. In this video game, to do so, you guide Scott or any of the other playable characters in a beat’em up style game where you fight all sorts of goons to challenge the evil Exes. The game also features RPG elements, such as gaining experience, money, and leveling up.

The game is full of much of the same humor as the comic and movie, though most of the humor is shown visually as opposed to verbally, unlike many of the jokes from the movie. The pixel art closely resembles the comic, and the chiptune style soundtrack can be quite euphoric.

Since the game has RPG elements, the character you choose to play as starts out quite slow and weak. Thankfully the early enemies are easy enough to defeat, however I found that getting stronger was the most awkward part of this game. You do level up by defeating enemies like in most games, but instead of getting stronger stats from this feature, leveling up simply heals you and grants you a new move. While I found these new moves were useful, (particularly the counter attack), this bonus alone wasn’t enough to keep up with how the enemies got tougher as the game progressed. In order for your stats to get higher, you had to buy food from stores that might be a little hard to notice. Each purchase restores some health and enhances certain stats.

The real trouble with this feature is that you won’t know which stats each item enhances until you already bought it. You might be looking for more damage output or speed, (with the former being very important), but might buy too many items that increase your defensive stats trying to find the one item that increases attack a little bit. As a result, there could be a fair amount of grinding for cash and seeking out stores just to get stronger to clear areas that have a difficulty spike. The way this feature was executed was a damper on an otherwise fun beat’em up. (The only other downside to this game were a few cheap attacks that occur late in the game, where you could be stuck in a loop of damage from the rare hard to hit enemies.)

Other than that, this game is pretty much the complete game, and features all the DLC, (though some of it requires a free Ubisoft account, for some reason) and bonus modes. I found the bonus modes to be more of a diversion, but otherwise didn’t take anything away from the game. The game also features co-op play, and even though I didn’t have the chance to try it out, I am under the impression that it is a fun way to play this game.

Overall, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World – The Game is a fun brawler with a cumbersome power-up system. It has a lot of subtle nods to old video games, and bright, colorful visuals matching the source material. If you are looking for a somewhat quick action-based game to play through possibly with a friend, then this may just be a good pick for you.

Recommendations:

• Gather as much money as you can and spend it on food items to get stronger. Try to favor strength upgrades if you can.
• Playthrough each level, and be sure to backtrack if it gets way too tough.
• If you want more from this game, play as every character.
• You may or may not want to sign up for an Ubisoft account for some extra features.
• Play with friends, if possible

Pros:

• Good pixel art.
• Some fun video game nods.
• Great chiptune music.
• Simple but effective gameplay.

Cons:

• Stat grinding can be a chore.
• One or two features require an Ubisoft account (possible con).
• Parts of the late game features some cheap hits.
• Awkward shopping user interface.

Verdict:

7.5/10 A Good Retro Style Brawler

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is fun, but the required and awkward leveling system can slow you down. If you are otherwise looking for a quick, action packed playthrough, you should enjoy this game. This game has a range of 7.2-8.2 based on taste and how you react to the power-up system.

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And those were my thoughts on the Scott Pilgrim game. Which character is your favorite? What did you make of the level up system? Did you enjoy the bonus modes? Let me know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this review, then click that like button, and share it on social media. To keep up with That’s All Games, you can subscribe via WordPress or email. Until next time, have fun gaming!