SCOTT PILGRIM EX

Canada's Tribute Games is becoming a major player in arcade beat 'em ups, as it continues to invest in the genre, releasing its third consecutive game, following Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and Marvel Cosmic Invasion. This time, after the turtles and Marvel superheroes, it has chosen to follow the comic book universe of Bryan Lee O'Malley, creating Scott Pilgrim EX, the spiritual successor to Scott Pilgrim VS The World, a fairly old Ubisoft game, which, five years ago, was re-released and appeared on our PCs.

However, unlike its predecessor, which also took advantage of the release of the film of the same name, Scott Pilgrim EX is influenced by the 2023 animated miniseries Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Nevertheless, the game recounts events after the animation's plot, being an original story written by O'Malley himself, which means that, on the one hand, you don't need to have watched the series, and on the other hand, if you have watched it, you may get a sense of what the man is trying to tell us. The truth is that the game includes plenty of narration and dialogue between the protagonists with many characteristic characters from the series, which may seem "indifferent" to anyone who is not familiar with the universe created by O'Malley, but the way the story is set up is full of funny gags, Easter eggs, and nods to well-known gaming franchises, making it an enjoyable experience to watch.

Of course, the plot of a beat 'em up is the least interesting element, as the focus should be on the combat system. Those of you who have tried the original game will find that it does not stray far from its mechanics. That is, the implementation of a very successful combination of fast action and a satisfying repertoire of moves, with frequent emphasis on weapons, ultimate moves, but also with some very light RPG elements. Don't imagine anything too sophisticated, though, as the RPG elements are limited to four stats (Strength, Defense, Speed, and Willpower), which increase as we level up and/or equip our heroes.

The equipment, and the overall strengthening of our heroes, is achieved by exploring the space we move in, which is non-linearly designed, hub-type (if you've played River City Girls, you'll understand what we mean) and, among other things, is a imaginative version of Toronto. This means that Scott Pilgrim EX does not follow the beaten path of linear levels, but allows us to move freely until the next checkpoint on the map. Of course, along the way, it is possible to discover several secrets, play mini-games and make purchases at the various stores in the area. After all, money plays a big role in the game for anything we want (from equipment and healing items to new skins), which we acquire as we eliminate the various mobs that attack us.

There are three factions of enemies: Robots, Demons, and Vegans, with several types found among them (although at a certain point, they are recycled and simply change color), which are often accompanied by imaginative bosses. Scott Pilgrim EX is generally not a difficult game, but we find that there are quite a few bosses that are serious difficulty spikes, either because they have very powerful attacks and do a lot of damage, or because the game makes sure to "overload" the screen with many enemies before we reach any of them. Therefore, in some cases, we may need to do a little grinding to survive, while the fact that healing items are given out sparingly (which was also the case in the first game) makes the situation much more difficult in some missions, especially towards the end of the twelve Quests we need to complete before reaching the finale.

A clear improvement in this situation can be seen with the addition of online co-op, which supports up to four players. The existence of seven playable characters in total, each with several differences in play style (e.g. Lucas is huge and strong, but a little slower, while Roxie has a sword with a longer reach than the other characters), significantly increases the replayability of the title, which does not exceed five hours for the first playthrough. However, in our experience, we encountered several problems, with many sessions ending ingloriously due to disconnections or players withdrawing during them. Sure, if you play with friends and acquaintances, the experience will be different, but only if the game manages to keep them interested.

Scott Pilgrim EX has a bad habit of repeating itself in its gameplay, perhaps more than expected. In a genre where repetition is, by its very nature, a common denominator, it focuses its structure on backtracking. In almost every mission, we are called upon to go to the objective, be informed by the respective character that we are missing an item, go find it (all of which appear on the map, thankfully), and return. This pattern becomes a little tedious, as we are attacked by similar enemies in between (we can avoid them, but that means less money and experience) and we constantly see the same locations reflected in our eyes.

Sure, these locations are very imaginative, well-designed, and almost always show influences from well-known games of the past (Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins, Final Fantasy, Mario, etc.), thus creating a sense of familiarity for the player. However, at a certain point, they cease to have the same impact, and we simply try to get to the next quest as quickly as possible.

Perhaps a pure arcade mode would have been useful in the case of Scott Pilgrim EX, so that if someone just wants to smash a few heads, they can load it up on their computer and do so without having to run around the digital streets of semi-open Toronto. At least the city is full of save points (in the style of Sonic the Hedgehog), so you don't lose too much time when you want to stop the game, while the fact that the combat mechanism can be very entertaining, especially when we have upgraded our characters, helps to play the game in short sessions.

Moreover, the audiovisual aspect of Scott Pilgrim EX contributes to the enjoyable experience of playing it. The pixel art is wonderful, with huge, colorful characters and environments, full of movement and vitality, and an original rock soundtrack by the band Anamaguchi accompanying the action. We expected nothing less from Tribute Games, which once again manages to deliver a well-rounded and complete beat 'em up that, while not reaching the high heights of the genre (those belong to Absolum and Streets of Rage 4), but it won't disappoint fans of the genre.

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