Following up on an indie classic is never easy, and Scott Pilgrim EX has a tall task in front of it. The original Scott Pilgrim VS The World is an XBLA and PSN classic that faithfully adapted the comic book world of the series to a pixel-art beat ’em up.
Decades later, a proper sequel is on the horizon, with Scott Pilgrim EX. Part of the Steam Next Fest, I played through the demo and walked away impressed by the progression and refined gameplay mechanics.
What Is Scott Pilgrim EX?
Following up on the events from Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Scott and his bandmates are jamming out, ready for a show. But Metal Scott shows up and kidnaps Scott’s friends. Leaving behind a portal, Scott and Romona go after the metal double.
The core gameplay is similar to the prior title, with the demo letting me play as Scott. He can punch, jump, pick up, and throw things like before, but his attacks have expanded. He can perform additional punches and attacks, mapped to directional inputs and pressing the punch button. I loved pulling off a chain of furry punches, then jumping in the air with a spinning kick, double jump to attack airborne threats.
The most stark improvement has to be the increased smoothness of character movement. I felt far more in control of Scott’s jumps and moves than in VS The World, which felt more rigid in comparison.
Going Beyond the Screen – Level Design & Progression
Alongside improved combat and movement controls, Scott Pilgrim EX features expanded level design. While the demo level still was structured with a left-to-right format familiar to the beat ’em up genre, various side portals were spread throughout.
And within each one was a visually different location that asked Scott to complete missions beyond punching his way through a problem. One example was on the beach, where they told Scott that to open one of the portals, he needed a bomb. So he had travel to a completely different area on the map, and after beating a wave of baddies, he opened up a shop to buy bombs.
Traveling back to the beach area, he used the bomb to open a path, revealing a portal to an ice-covered beach. Once inside the portal, Scott was then tasked with punching some beach dudes encased in ice to the other side of the screen.
I loved this approach and look forward to what the full game has to offer on this front.
Old School Goodness – Visuals & Music
One aspect of the experience that has remained the same, in the best way possible, is the presentation. From beach shores, the band room, and more, it’s a visually pleasing experience throughout the demo. One visual detail I loved while exploring the demo was the Sonic-inspired elements throughout, like the checkpoints that are ripped right out of the Genesis Sonic titles.
I particularly enjoyed the animation work on Scott and his enemies, having more frames than VS The World, making them more expressive than before.
The music is also awesome, having the same retro-rock vibes as VS The World. ‘Toronto Streets’ stands out as one of the more memorable songs from the demo, matching the strong opening impression that ‘Another Winter’ provided from the previous game.
Closing Thoughts
I loved my time with this demo. I can’t wait for the full experience, launching across all platforms on March 3rd.
