WARNING – This review will explain the main storyline of the Scott Pilgrim tale. As such, there are probably going to be SPOILERS ABOUND and if you don’t like that, just know that this game is all kinds of awesome and it is worth way more than it’s being sold for. 6 of 7. Go get it.
So, guys, who out there remembers River City Ransom? Streets of Rage? Anyone? They were two of the most prolific side-scrolling beat ‘em ups known to man back in the day, and man, were they awesome. And joining their ranks in 2010 is this neat little nerdgasmic love story about a guy, his friends, and the love of his life, locked in a struggle with the ex-loves of her life in order to win her love and be the coolest guy ever. That’s right, Scott Pilgrim is here, and in convenient pixel form, in the movie game Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game!
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, this is that movie thing. Well, that must mean it sucks. Never mind, forget this review; I’m going back to waiting for (insert game here).” Well, stop that and listen to me rant on it. First up is the plot: Scott Pilgrim, bassist for the band Sex Bob-Omb and all-around badass (seriously, his rating is “Awesome”), meets up with a girl named Ramona Flowers at a party, and instantly, he falls for her. However, there was a bit of fine print he didn’t get the memo on; Ramona’s got quite a bit of baggage in the form of seven – yes, seven – evil ex-boyfriends (well, 6 boys and one girl), and in order to win Ramona’s heart, Scott’s gotta take ‘em all down. With the help of Kim Pine, Scott’s very unenthusiastic ex-girlfriend and drummer for the band, Ramona Flowers herself, and Stephen Stills, the band’s lead singer, he kicks, punches and throws trash cans all over Toronto to find, challenge, and defeat every last Evil Ex to get him some lovin’ at the end of the day.
The gameplay is your standard 2d beat ’em up fare: you pick a character, you pick a stage, and you run out kicking and screaming down a 2d street/hall/whatever punching anything stupid enough to get in your way in the face. Each character has their own unique moveset, despite their playstyles handling the same, and each character’s stats are handled individually. You’ll have HP (Hit Points) to tell you how much health you have, and GP (Gut Points) for your Super Attacks and for summoning Scott’s other ex-girlfriend, Knives Chau, for an assist attack or support move that’s unique to every character. GP is also useful in that when your HP hits 0, a bit of it will be converted to HP to let you fight on without losing a life. Making the game unique is a leveling system that teaches you new moves as you lay the smackdown on your enemies, and beating them up nets you sweet Canadian cash to buy stat upgrades and food to increase your strength, speed, defense, and so forth, kind of like an RPG. The environments are highly interactive: see something that looks like it could be a weapon? It probably is. Everything from snowballs to bus stop signs to recycling bins can be picked up and thrown, or just used until it breaks on an enemy’s skull. Hell, you can even pick up fallen enemies and beat people with them! How hardcore is that?
There are only a few glaring problems that keep me from giving this game a perfect score: firstly, when soloing, it can get really tough really fast. The difficulty settings are essentially “How often does the AI actually initiate an attack,” making the difference between the three just barely noticeable. It takes a while for you to get the money you need for the real stat boosters, so you’ll find yourself grinding for coin a lot through the game. It’s very, very obvious this is a multiplayer game, and it can be overwhelming or downright frustrating when you can’t land a blow. I’ve also had problems with the music sometimes not loading and a game freeze, which was really, really lame.
On the plus side, though, the graphics are stylish, way over-the-top, and vibrant, and there are pop culture and genre references all over the place, giving the game that classic arcade feel without losing its own charm. The Survival Horror extra mode, a zombie-smashing 1-life run accessible with a special code on the title screen, is a blast, and a great way to milk experience and money for Story Mode. The soundtrack, made by prolific chiptune band Anamanaguchi, is worth your money alone; the crisp, quick bleeps and bloops strung over strong guitar play just oozes retro style, and for regular listeners to Anamana’s work, it’s easily their best. Yes, I listen to Power Supply religiously. It’s even better than that. Every song fits the moment it’s played in, and you’ll be jamming for weeks every time you think about it. Don’t believe me? Go look up “Another Winter” on Youtube. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Back with me? Okay. Wrapping up, even without online play, Scott Pilgrim: The Game is an absolutely amazing game, based on an amazing story, and I will never, ever be able to sing its praises loud enough. Every nook and cranny of this game exudes 100% pure distilled kick-assitude, and at $9.99, it’s an absolute steal. Good gameplay, great graphics and music, and truly epic beat-‘em-up goodness awaits, and the best part? No quarters required. If you’re a Scott Pilgrim fan, get this game, you have no excuse at all. If you like retro action, get this game, you have little excuse. If you like beating things up, get this game, your excuses make you a weakling. And even if you don’t, get it anyway—it makes a great little arcade addition to any gamer’s library. Scott Pilgrim: The Game has its letdowns, but it still manages to more than live up to its titular character’s rating: Awesome.
