Review: Scott Pilgrim EX - Another Bob-ombastic Beat 'Em Up from Tribute Games

Growing up in the rural ’90s, not much beat hanging out with that one well-off mate who always had the newest Sega Mega Drive games. By my reckoning, he was the most popular kid in school - inviting me, the humble class nerd, into his castle to combine forces and conquer the Streets of Rage trilogy. A truly blessed situationship.

The same childhood reverence for side-scrolling brawlers is exactly what pulses through Scott Pilgrim EX. It’s clear the team at Tribute Games share that passion for retro delights. The result is another bob-ombastic addition to the beat ‘em up genre. It’s really great stuff.

It should come as no surprise to anyone, really, that the studio behind Marvel: Cosmic Invasion, and the phenomenal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge has a golden hand when it comes to this kind of thing.

Where Scott Pilgrim EX really impressed, though, is in how it balances homage with evolution. It’s packed with cheeky winks to the games that inspired it, yet neatly sidesteps the pitfalls of the past. Feeling nostalgic for the shaggy-haired Canadian bassist, I revisited 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, and boy, oh boy, it feels like a slog today. It plays like an arcade classic, ramping difficulty level by level, without offering players any real ability to avoid getting clobbered.

EX does away with all of that. Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, and their unlikely gang of exes-turned-allies can now block, dodge in all directions, break out of grapples, and press button combinations to pull off satisfying super attacks. Combat feels responsive and empowering rather than punishing.

The new assist summons came in clutch when tankier bosses threatened to overwhelm me - spam-summoning the Katayanagi Twins to patch me up with their rockin’ tunes became a go-to survival tactic. Once recovered, I’d swap them out for a screen-flooding stampede of Young Neils, turning the tide of battle.

Progression also feels more contemporary. Scott and co. can still headbutt-burst vegans into cash monies, which can be spent on various food items, equipment, and badges to boost stats, and level-up the gang. But unlike its predecessor, EX squashes early frustrations, and keeps you on level footing with later-stage enemies and bosses.

Fundamentally, it’s still a traditional beat ‘em up that fans of the genre know and love. You can rest assured knowing Tribute Games has done it again.

Set after the events of the books, film, and anime, Scott and Ramona are already an established couple when the story takes off. The League of Evil Exes has moved on and now lends its collective talents - swords, skateboards, stunt teams, and robot - to rescue the kidnapped members of Sex Bob-omb from a new threat: Metal Sonic Scott.

Across 12 quests - taking somewhere between 3 to 5 hours to complete - you’ll warp through a mix of fresh and familiar Toronto locales, diving into spots like the First Cup, Honest Ex’s, and even Wallace Well’s apartment. Some stages feel lifted straight from books, whilst others - like the prehistoric dawn of veganism - lead into absurd originality. That icy detour had me battling waves of veggie-loving degenerates, and culminates in a showdown with a dinosaur incarnation of Ramona’s super-vegan ex in a bid to reclaim Scott’s bass guitar.

You’ll find your missing bandmates and instruments tucked away inside Rift Zones. These alternate eras of Toronto require you to learn and perform a Zelda-esque melody to gain access, and are packed with charm, easter eggs and silly jokes that are sure to raise a smile. The non-stop references are probably my favourite part of the whole experience.

If there’s a weak point, it’s variety. For most of Scott Pilgrim EX, you move from left to right, or vice versa, pummelling every vegan, demon, and robot that gets in your way. Beyond multiple boss battles, stage design can feel a little samey by the end of a first playthrough.

That said, much of what makes Scott Pilgrim EX such good fun is stepping into Scott’s sneakers, Ramona’s rollerskates, and whatever footwear the other five happened to be sporting. Tribute Games has done a brilliant job of making each character move and feel true to their personality, even if they all pretty much do the same thing.

Of course, they each have their own animations and flourishes, but it is the attention to detail that really makes the difference. Lucas Lee struts like a self-important movie star, Robot-01 rolls out of danger as a tiny transformer car, and Ramona’s taunt channels a Tails-inspired yawn.

There are a few mechanical distinctions, too. Matthew Patel and Roxie Richter lack chargeable strong attacks but seem to compensate with wider range and crowd-clearing AOE options. Whilst everyone broadly shares the same toolkit, these nuances, and the option to swap your chosen pugilist, keep repeat runs feeling fresh, especially on New Game+.

Scott Pilgrim EX is probably one of Tribute Games’ easier titles, offering a decent challenge without ever feeling overwhelming. A few pre-launch co-op bugs meant much of my time was spent solo, but progression felt manageable. As I levelled up Ramona, enemy aggression scaled nicely alongside her growing abilities. 

Interestingly, once co-op started working, the game actually felt easier - the opposite of what I expected. I thought I’d see more vegans to dog-pile me, or bosses that grew more aggressive, perhaps even additional health bars. These feel like balancing tweaks that could be ironed out with feedback, so I’m not overly concerned.

One missed opportunity, though, is the lack of more meaningful interaction with your co-op partners. You can share hearts and coins and stand on each other’s heads - which was funny, but a bit shallow. Shared attacks or proper co-op super moves would have added some much appreciated depth to the newly explored partnerships.

Oh, and shout out to Anamanaguchi for the awesome soundtrack too. Your work on Scott Pilgrim EX really brought the stages to life.

Conclusion

Scott Pilgrim EX is another banger from Tribute games - a studio that rarely puts a foot wrong in the modern beat ’em up space. It’s a must-have for fans of Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley and a great game for anyone craving something simple and fun to play with friends. 

Yes, there are a few minor issues around co-op scaling and level variety. But what it lacks in those areas, it more than makes up for with immense charm and humour. It’s the kind of game I can see myself dipping back into whenever I’ve got time to kill - and one I’d happily recommend to anyone with a soft spot for brawlers.

Are you excited for Scott Pilgrim EX? And what platform will you be picking it up? Let us know in the comments.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2

Game Friend Scoring Policy