When Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete edition was hinted at a while back, I was skeptical. Fans of the game have been asking for a re-release for so many years without any signs of progress. But finally, Ubisoft Montreal pulled some strings to fulfill those long-lingering expectations.
It’s back
I never thought this would happen but Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is back. Yours truly remembers being very excited back in 2010 when this game originally got released. A bit annoyed this one was digital-only I still went out of my way and spend cash on the PS store on this game. I played my fair share of the game but eventually moved on to other things and when those other things kept needing more space on my PS3’s hard drive I decided to delete Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. One day I felt like replaying the game and wanted to download it only to find out it was delisted. Allegedly, a licensing deal was to blame.
Delisting games and thus making them unavailable to those who already purchased them is a big issue in times where digital games become much more prominent. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World alongside some other titles became some sort of a symbol for those advocating to keep releasing games in physical form. Despite a lot of (digital) ink being spilled on the topic, the game remained delisted. In the advent of the 10th anniversary of the movie, the author of the comic books, Bryan Lee O’Mallay, tweeted he wanted the game to come back. Apparently, that tweet set the wheels in motion resulting in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition.
Complete Edition
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition is a true re-release. The game includes the original game with the addition of the 2 Add-on packs featuring Knives Chau and Wallace Wells. The lacking network play the original had is fully fixed with the Wallace Wells add-on countering the main critique the original game had. Playing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is fully doable alone but becomes exponentially more fun when playing with other people. With the added network ability finding others to tag along with is easy and convenient.
Defeat all the evil exes
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition is a retro-looking 2D beat-’em-up game. The game takes inspiration from games like Streets of Rage and River City Ransom for gameplay. The game follows the crazy over the top events of the comics/movie while using the 16-bit aesthetics inspired by the comics. When Scott falls head over heels for Ramona Flowers’ charms, he must first defeat her 7 evil exes before he could be with her. With the help of his bandmembers, Scott travels through 7 different worlds taking on each ex one by one to finally deliver Gideon Graves’ demise and conquer Ramona’s heart.
RPG light
The game plays very much like the classic beat-’em-ups even including those frustrating cheap hits you just can’t seem to avoid. The difficulty level is also very reminiscent of the older games. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is far from an easy game to get through. Especially if you want to do it as a solo run. In the beginning, this can be quite frustrating since Scott is basically a pretty wimpy fighter. With hordes of goons to prevent you from getting to the boss in each world, it sure feels like a steep uphill battle.
Just like in the comics/movie, Scott improves. The game implemented some RPG elements. Firstly, you earn experience when defeating enemies and knocking out evil exes. The experience works towards leveling up. This grants you new moves to start you give a little more edge bit by bit. Defeating enemies also earns you Canadian dollars. These can be spent in shops shattered around the world to beef up your stats. Once you earn enough to afford these upgrades you will surely feel the impact of Scott’s brawling improve massively. The downside to playing alone is that you’ll need to replay levels to grind towards these upgrades which felt cheap back in 2010 and still feels the same in 2021.
Different endings
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition can be played as more than Scott alone. With Kim Pine, Stephen Stills, and Ramona Flowers also available as playable characters you can have a whole different experience on a new playthrough. Each character has its own set of moves to unlock so experimenting with these brings a lot of fun. Completionist might also be triggered to play as each character because each provides a different ending. With Knives Chau and Wallace Wells added in this complete edition, a total of 6 playthroughs can be done in order to reveal each possible ending.
Conclusion
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition is still not a perfect game but it’s surely an awesome game. The flaws are greatly eclipsed by the awesome story, style, and fun gameplay on offer. Playing with friends is greatly advised although a solo run can also be very rewarding because of the added difficulty factor. The game is currently available on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Xbox and Stadia owners will get their shot at the game soon.
