Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition Review (PC)

Rapid series of punches to the right, knocking down one enemy. Jump and strong attack to the left, pushing a bigger one back. Slide to the right and then move around a little to avoid a charge attack. Call in a buddy to help with the rest of the group. Then pick up a baseball bat to beat on a group before one of them throws a bottle and knocks my avatar out. Quick use of some gut action to get out of the melee and then a careful dance to make sure that I can catch each enemy one-on-one to finish them.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a Ubisoft remaster of the original 2010 title that can be played on the PC, via Ubisoft Connect, or streamed on Stadia, the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Switch. The title includes all the downloadable content released. It is otherwise a very faithful recreation of the 10 years old title, including the pretty incredible soundtrack that many mourned when the game was de-listed.

At its core, the new release remains an arcade brawler that owes much of its design to classics like Streets of Rage. Players can choose from a variety of Scott Pilgrim comic characters before moving through levels and taking down enemies. There are groups to deal with, weapons to equip, obstacles to avoid, trash-cans to throw, and full-on bosses to take down (the comic even delivers the perfect structure with its seven evil exes concept). Players have three lives to work with and once they are gone they get unceremoniously dropped back at the start of the level.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game adds some extra layers to the mechanics. Coins are very important, dropped by the corpses of enemies and used to get cool food and band power-ups. Experience unlocks new moves for the character, even a counter that should be offered from the start. Health is important but the game also features Gut points. They are used to launch into a special attack, especially useful when surrounded by enemies, but they are also a way to replenish health once it gets down to zero. The option to call in a buddy (Knives, who is now also the main character) is also interesting, especially when playing solo.

The game features cooperative play for up to four players, either locally or over the Internet. The Complete Edition also comes with four additional game modes: Boss Rush, designed to take out the boss enemies once after another; Survival Horror, featuring zombies; Battle Royale, cool with friends; and Dodgeball, which is colorful but very simple.

The narrative will be very familiar to anyone who knows the comic book or the movie. The cutscenes are good, locations, and Easter Eggs are designed to keep fans happy. Every element of the game is evidence of a deep commitment to offering the best possible representation of the original work.

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This is a great idea given that the gameplay can become a little unsatisfying after 5 or so hours. The bosses are all cool, adding new ideas and challenges. Their levels are also carefully designed to stand out, with plenty of detail. But moving through the levels to get to them is repetitive, especially once the initial wow factor is gone. Picking up objects can be tricky while enemies have a little too many stun moves. Knocking down and then throwing a downed enemy can feel a little overpowered.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition nails the presentation. The graphics are gorgeous, the characters look great and move well, the seven evil exes drop with personality and menace. The references to other classic video games can be a little much (punching coins out of brick will never feel cool) but they are funny at first. The music created by Anamanaguchi fits the setting perfectly and has quickly become part of the soundtrack that I play when I play other video games.

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The Good

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