Scott Pilgrim returns to games in chaotic new retro brawler EX

Scott Pilgrim, all his buddies, and the most of the creators who’ve introduced his world to life through the years, are all again for a brand new recreation set for launch in 2026.

As revealed at Summer time Sport Fest on Friday, Scott Pilgrim EX is a “time-warped brawling journey” that sends Scott, Ramona Flowers, and 5 different playable characters battling throughout a Toronto ravaged by robots and demons. The brand new title comes from Tribute Video games, the retro-minded studio fashioned by members of the unique Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Sport crew, and comedian creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, who labored intently on crafting the brand new story. The chiptune group Anamanaguchi additionally returns for the soundtrack.

“In a approach it’s type of pure, and the genesis of Tribute, to return to that IP,” Tribute advertising and publishing supervisor Eric Lafontaine advised epicgamejourney at a press briefing earlier than the SGF stream. “It’s in our DNA in a approach, and it’s simply coming again via these roots and doing an amazing totally different recreation. It’s simply pure.”

Tribute’s “video games that play such as you bear in mind them” philosophy labored wonders for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and the studio’s upcoming Marvel Cosmic Invasion, set for later this yr, appears to be like simply as promising. And whereas Scott Pilgrim EX shares some inventive power with these video games — detailed pixel artwork, high-impact fight — producer Remi Lavoie says Scott Pilgrim EX is barely totally different than these extra simple brawlers due to a non-linear play type.

Picture: Tribute Video games

“This recreation occurs in a very large world of interconnected areas, which you’ll discover at your individual tempo,” he mentioned. The map, which is totally unlocked when gamers start the sport, is impressed by the basic NES beat-’em-up River Metropolis Ransom, which broke floor with an “open-world” method to staging. Whereas the quests in Scott Pilgrim EX could have linear development, gamers will have the ability to bounce round and get proper all the way down to enterprise, as all of their strikes and combos might be accessible from the get go too.

“Scott Pilgrim is admittedly extra of an journey recreation the place you progress via the world and full quests, [while] Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a little more much like the normal beat-’em-ups with finishing stage after stage,” Lavoie mentioned. “In order that they’re each very totally different, even within the fight mechanics: [Scott Pilgrim EX] options a whole lot of weapons, on a regular basis objects you could decide up and use as weapons.”

Lavoie mentioned the crew actually leaned in on the chaos of the expertise for Scott Pilgrim EX, which additionally counts Scott Pilgrim Takes Off author BenDavid Grabinski as a inventive associate and is technically set after the occasions of the anime. “A part of it’s embracing that wacky timeline,” he mentioned. “It’s a narrative written with Bryan and it’s actually its personal factor, however technically it occurs after the occasions of the animated collection.” And the crazy high quality of the story is mirrored within the artwork and play; the levels in EX are overflowing with basic recreation references whereas the variety of objects that may be deployed as weapons ought to make the sport’s four-player co-op (in individual or on-line) a complete circus.