Absence can make the heart more affectionate, and with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game the wait prepared me to fall in love with his retro games nostalgia festival again. Nor could his return have occurred at a better time. Confined in my home away from friends and family while the days are short, cold and in the grip of a continuous pandemic, a decade ‘s beat’ em up is helping me recharge my batteries when I need it most.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game was originally released in 2010 to coincide with the release of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Universal film adaptation Scott Pilgrim series of comic books, about a group of 20-year-old Toronto lazy people, navigating life and relationships through video game-inspired hijinks. A joint project by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Chengdu, offered a Scott Pilgrim-spin in the classic beat ’em up RPG, River City Ransom, which was elevated both by the bubbly animation style of artist Paul Robertson and animated soundtrack by punk chiptune band Anamanaguchi. The digital-only launch exploded on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade as a competent licensed game with a deep, independent heart. And then, December 30, 2014, he was removed from both stores, disappearing silently and seemingly forever, becoming a poster boy for the pitfalls of game preservation in the digital age.
Now it’s back on PS4 and Xbox One, alongside PC, Switch and Stadia, and as good as I remember. Beat ’em ups have had a certain renaissance in recent years, and while Scott Pilgrim against the world cannot match the new gold standard of the genre recently set by Streets of Rage 4, it is still a very fun playground to relax. Like the source material, Scott Pilgrim against the world revolves around its titular protagonist falling in love with a messenger named Romona Flowers and fighting his seven paranormal ex-boyfriends in the process.
Between scenes and boss battles, Scott Pilgrim against the world it’s mostly about getting into fights with crowds of random strangers on the streets of Toronto and using the experience and money gained to level up and unlock new skills. Levels, arranged as one Super Mario Bros. overworld map, are made to be reproduced and offer stores where you can spend money on food to increase stats like health, strength and speed. Pay Scott $ 500 in late fees at the video store and you’ll unlock an even more powerful update menu to buy. Enter a cheat code (Square, Square, Square, X, Circle, Triangle on PS4) and you can start every level with a deadly sword that sends waves of energy in the style of Master Sword.
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All in Scott Pilgrim against the world it is like before, like going back to your childhood room, perfectly preserved in the years since you left, through negligence as much as anything else. This includes the flawed but viable online multiplayer, previously released as a DLC years after the game was released. At that time it seemed like an afterthought, but today it is a godsend. Scott Pilgrim against the world it is an extremely pleasant walk along the memory lane playing alone, but with a friend or group it becomes a suitable meeting point. I’ve been playing here and there with friends and strangers for the past week, and it feels like the unexpected postponement of a snowy day combined with the wild exuberance of a post-barcrawl cooperative session – two things turned into pandemic mirage fantasies.
Of course, there are many other great multiplayer games to relax with friends. More than ever, in fact. But none reaches the same welcome notes for me in the way Scott Pilgrim against the world does, a retro tribute that returns with a unique layer of nostalgia of its own. This past year has been a mess and no matter how much I don’t want to face it the next day, it always comes. Scott Pilgrim against the world it was exactly what I needed now to make the previous nights last a little longer.