Scott Pilgrim EX: Review of a Beloved Return

Scott Pilgrim EX: We tried the demo early

by Simone Marcocchi

16 February 2026 16:14

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Scott Pilgrim EX marks the video game return of one of the most beloved pop universes, but it does so with a new, more ambitious, and surprisingly layered identity. The project, conceived as a modern reinterpretation of Scott's imagery, aims to reintroduce a cult beat 'em up, despite the film not having received the public attention it deserved.

From the very first minutes, it's clear how exploration has been rethought in a modern key. You no longer move along side corridors towards a final boss, but enter a vibrant city, dense with activities and full of surprises, where every corner can hide secondary challenges, unexpected shops, or encounters that change the pace of the adventure. NPCs assign tasks that lead to discovering new nooks and crannies of the metropolis, while the progression system rewards both curiosity and the ability to adapt to the changing rhythms of combat. The result is a beat 'em up that doesn't sacrifice the immediacy of the genre but grafts a broader soul into it, almost like an action RPG.

The most important part of the experience, of course, remains the combat. Combinations of direct and powerful attacks, fluid movements and sudden changes of pace, lead to very deep approaches to combat: between evocations, ranged attacks, and spectacular abilities, inviting players to experiment and refine their style. The narrative, from what little was tried, while maintaining the irreverent tone typical of the series, goes beyond a simple pretext for fighting. The city has plunged into a whirlwind of rival gangs, misplaced creatures, temporal aberrations, and absurd situations. The mission to save the Sex Bob-ombs thus becomes the trigger for a story that expands, bends linearity, and introduces time-travel elements that allow players to discover alternative versions of places and characters. This structure allows the game to mix combat, exploration, and more narrative moments without losing pace, creating a balance that manages to surprise even veterans of the series.

The combat system thus becomes a direct extension of the crazy and mutable imagination of Scott Pilgrim: fast, creative, always ready to introduce a new idea. The variety of styles, abilities, and techniques allows for personal approaches, making every clash a small cinematic set where you can put on a show. At the same time, the narrative plot takes on a more significant role, opening glimpses into alternative realities and temporal distortions that enrich the narrative framework with fresh and unexpected ideas. Progression is never flat, and naturally alternates chaos, irony, and moments of discovery.

The visual style, vibrant and bold, contributes further personality to the project, with an aesthetic that amplifies colors, expressions, and special effects until they become a natural extension of the series' irony. Everything is built with meticulous attention to the recognizability of the characters, but at the same time with the desire to offer them in an updated guise, capable of enhancing their iconic features without turning them into a parody.
The result is an artistic direction that satisfies everyone, relegating the aesthetic to pixel art that maintains its nostalgic energy, but is pushed towards a chromatic intensity and expressive vivacity that make it more modern, more theatrical. The game does not copy the style of the comics or the film, but seems to distill their essence, transforming it into a new visual language, immediately recognizable and full of character.

Score

Editorial team