Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game Complete Edition Review – Second Cup (PS4)

August 13, 2010. My 30th birthday. After attending a midnight showing of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, I was super pumped to play the side scrolling beat ’em up from Ubisoft. And boy did I ever play that game. My Canadian pride and love of the genre meant long nights playing with Scott, Ramona, and the gang with my husband after work. Some nights was grinding for loonies, other nights replaying a boss fight in the hopes of unlocking trophies.

After an unfortunate delisting due to expiring licenses, Ubisoft is bringing this beloved game back to gamers this week. So the question now: how does the game hold up over a decade later?

Scott Pilgrim vs The World The Game Complete Edition Review – Scott vs The Seven Evil Exes

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a fantastic side-scrolling punch kick game. This anniversary edition includes both the Knives and Wallace DLC packs which means you have the full Scott Pilgrim experience in one package. As you progress through the game, the character you chose as an avatar will level up and learn new moves. I went with Knives as my main character for my review playthrough, and my co-op partner selected Scott. Traveling across the classic Super Mario inspired map (which I need a cross stitch pattern for ASAP), Scott et al battle through minion mobs before tackling each of Ramona’s Evil Exes.

Everything is just as bright and colorful as I remember. And that stellar soundtrack from Anamanaguchi makes everything better. Even when you are replaying a level for the umpteenth time grinding for cash. Or just because you want to level up as quickly as possible. Average Joe difficulty remains just as tough as before, providing a decent challenge for someone who loves themselves and wants to stay sane. Only masochists should play the other modes, in my opinion. But to each their own.

Multiplayer gaming with friends is the way to go. I’ve spent my entire time playing the game with my spouse; it’s so helpful having someone to resurrect you when you’ve taken a few too many flames to the face. In the original version, you could only play together locally. A new Network Game option is available which should allow you to play both the game and PvP modes with your online friends. Unfortunately, I was unable to test this ahead of launch, so my fingers are crossed it works smoothly when the game is available on Jan 14, 2021.

If you ever tire of story mode, Extra Games Mode has a bunch of mini-games great for seeing which of your bandmates is the true leader of the band. These aren’t for me, personally. I find them cute but nowhere near as charming as the core game. For what it’s worth, solo Dodge Ball might very well be the saddest thing I have ever done in any game.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World The Game Complete Edition Review – Subspace, What’s Up With That?

I was grinding over and over wondering why the hell my stats weren’t going up when something in the back of my brain tickled. Why was I collecting all this loose change? Then I stumbled into Wallace’s Mystery Shop and a lightbulb went off. Right! The shops. How could I have forgotten about buying poutine and random items from the various stores and carts were the way to bump up key stats like defense and attack? Once I started spending loonies at the stores in the shopping district there was a noticeable improvement. Our third attempt at K.O.-ing Lucas was a huge success.

Keep your eyes peeled for stores and vending carts. If you’re really stuck but have coins weighing down your pockets, the shopping district at the halfway point in the first level is a great place to go shopping. And it doesn’t hurt that Wallace’s little store is nearby. The record store might be my personal favorite for plunking down quarters. Buying permanent +10 stat buff items might be what helps you clear the Patel battle without losing a life.

The game is not flawless. There have been several instances where standing directly in front of an enemy and throwing a punch does not seem to register. Perhaps this is a side effect of having a much larger screen than I did ten years ago. Maybe it was like this the whole time and I forgot. If this was consistent maybe I could shrug it off, but it isn’t. It’s also a problem when picking up items from the ground. Case in point: I tried to pick up a baseball bat. No matter where I positioned myself I could not grab it. My spouse walks over to it and after a couple of taps on the square button is able to pick it up. The buttons in general seem to have either a touch of lag or are just plain stiff.  I am playing on a PlayStation 5 and there is no formal PS5 upgrade for the game (it’s a PS4 game played via backwards compatibility), meaning it could very well be that the controls seem off now that I am accustomed to the DualSense controller.

No matter what, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game – Complete Edition is the perfect hit of nostalgia. Whether you pick it up digitally or treat yourself to any of the physical goodies on the way from Limited Run Games, this game isn’t a cult favorite without reason.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game – Complete Edition review code provided by publisher. Version 1.00 reviewed on a PlayStation 5. For more information on scoring please see our Review Policy here.