Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game isn't so much a homage to the comic books or movies as it is a homage to retro gaming. The 16-bit graphics, chip-tune music, cheat codes, and blatant video game references make sure of that. I knew that it was going to be at least a little nostalgic and had seen gameplay of it, but I was not prepared for the bombardment of retro gaming influences and references. Nearly everything in it is derived from a classic game from our memories. All of this is done while still retaining what makes it a Scott Pilgrim game.

For those not familiar with the story of Scott Pilgrim, he is a 23 year old living in Toronto, Canada. He is in a band with his ex-girlfriend from high school, is dating a 17 year-old girl in high school, and is desperately trying to cling to his youth. When Ramona Flowers arrives he dumps his 17 year old girlfriend in pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, in order to keep Ramona as his girlfriend, Scott must defeat each of 7 members of The League of Evil Ex's. What this boils down to in the game is running through a slide scrolling level, punching minions, collecting Canadian coins, and facing a boss at the end of each level.

The game starts up with a brilliant animation sequence that explains the basic premise of the game. That is the only explanation you get. The rest of the game is spent in combat or on a Super Mario World style level select screen. The assumption that all of the game's players will be familiar with Scott Pilgrim's world leaves a feeling reminiscent of how retro games rarely gave you much explanation as to why things happen. Once you choose a character from the Super Mario Bros. 3 character select screen and enter the first level you are shown some people who you assume are your friends running ahead of you and the subtitle "Don't be late for the big show!". The next thing you see are thugs and you don't hesitate to mash buttons until you find one that punches the living daylights out of everyone, and everything, you see. The entire story is told is a similar manner with the gameplay conveying all the motivation you need to press forward towards each of Ramona's evil Ex's.

As far as gameplay goes, Scott Pilgrim makes itself a spiritual successor of an old game called River City Ransom. Basically anything can be used as a weapon, even downed friends or enemies. You run to the left and beat up anybody you see until you reach a boss battle. Defeat the boss at the end of the level and then move on to the next one. Scott Pilgrim  improves on River City Ransom by by introducing combos and 4-player co-op.

4-player co-op is a lot of fun. The game is clearly optimized as a multiplayer experience and for each person you don't have the game is "25% less fun". This wouldn't be much of a problem if Scott Pilgrim included online multiplayer. Perhaps the developers just didn't have time, or maybe they wanted to keep in the spirit of retro games, but if you want to enjoy the game at it's maximum level you are going to have to have your friends sitting next you. In todays game industry this isn't really excusable especially considering that the game is only available as a download, which means that anybody who gets the game is going to have their console connected to it's respective online service.

Other issues include occasional screen tearing and frame rate drops. Early into the game it had frozen up on me a few times, but since the first few hours I have not had that problem. All of these can be fixed by a simple patch and perhaps they are excusable when you consider the adorable and nostalgic art and music styles.

The artwork was directed by a man named Paul Robertson in a 16-bit style. Fans of great animations will not be disappointed. Some of the animations from the game can be found at Paul's livejournal. It fits the character of the game perfectly, and even creates it in many ways. The art style is complimented by a soundtrack composed by the successful chip-tune band Anamanaguchi. I love the music so much I am currently listening to it right now! You can purchase, or sample the album at the iTunes Store.

Although Scott Pilgrim  only contains 7 levels it's no big deal because they are incredibly replayable. You often return to the first level to visit the shops there and to the others to grind for coin drops. In addition there are 4 initial characters to play through the story separately, and a fifth when you beat the game with those four. A sixth character is unlockable by beating him when he randomly appears on any level. Each character has a different ending and that is plenty of motivation to play through the short story to see each.

Despite its inexcusable flaws, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game Is one of my favorite gaming experiences this year. The combination of the simple retro style combat,  youthful graphics and music, and the ever present Scott Pilgrim universe took me in and through a ride I won't soon forget. I've played through it 3 times now and am looking forward to another 3 playthroughs as the other character. I highly recommend it to anyone who is into retro games or has found themselves interested in the Scott Pilgrim universe.