Scott Pilgrim EX Turns Toronto Into an Open-World Brawler Worth Watching

Scott Pilgrim Comes Back Swinging – But Bigger

Scott Pilgrim EX caught my eye for two reasons: Tribute Games knows how to make punches feel great (see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge), and they’re not just reviving an old favorite – they’re stretching the beat ’em up blueprint into an open city. That’s a tempting pitch and a risky one. The 2010 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game earned cult status by doing the classic side-scrolling thing with style. Scott Pilgrim EX aims to keep the pixel-art swagger, Anamanaguchi’s earworm energy, and couch co-op chaos while letting you roam a stylized Toronto in 20XX. If you’ve been waiting for the genre’s next evolution, this could be it – if it doesn’t lose what made the original sing.

Key Takeaways

• It’s not a remaster — a new adventure with an open, interconnected Toronto instead of linear levels.
• Tribute’s pedigree matters: expect crunchy hits, readable chaos, and combo headroom.
• Shared currency could turn co-op into friendly (or not-so-friendly) budgeting wars.
• Local co-op is confirmed; online play hasn’t been clearly detailed yet.
• Due in 2026 on consoles and PC, with Bryan Lee O’Malley involved, Paul Robertson on pixel art, and Anamanaguchi composing.

Breaking Down the Announcement

Tribute Games is developing and publishing Scott Pilgrim EX with Universal’s involvement, and Bryan Lee O’Malley is directly contributing an original story. That’s a strong signal this isn’t nostalgia-bait. The roster is set for six playable characters, with Scott and Ramona joined by Roxie Richter and Lucas Lee among the confirmed fighters. The vibe, unsurprisingly, is pure Robertson: punchy, ultra-expressive pixel art that can sell a joke in two frames. And Anamanaguchi returning is the right kind of fan service — their 2010 soundtrack is half the reason people still hum this series.

The big design swing is ditching the stage-by-stage conveyor belt for a city you can crisscross: main objectives, side missions, timed challenges, secrets, shops, shortcuts, the works. That puts Scott Pilgrim EX closer to a beat ’em up meets hub-world brawler — think River City with modern mission design — than a strict Streets of Rage-style run. It’s a smart way to keep co-op nights fresh, as long as the map isn’t padding itself with fetch quests and backtracking to hide repetition.

The Gamer’s Perspective: Where This Could Shine

What made Shredder’s Revenge so good wasn’t just nostalgia; it was the feel. Snappy start-up frames, generous hitstop, and a toolkit that let casuals mash while letting sickos chase 100-hit juggles. If Tribute brings that same philosophy to an open-city structure, you get the best of both worlds: bite-sized objectives for pick-up-and-play nights, with enough depth to theorycraft builds and routes with your crew.

That shared economy is the spicy twist. Money earned goes into one communal pot, and you’ll spend it on food for heals, stat bumps, passive-boost badges, and goofy gear with synergy. Suddenly, co-op becomes a conversation: do we blow cash on someone’s damage hat or save for team survivability? It’s Overcooked-style negotiation layered onto a brawler, which fits Scott Pilgrim’s chaotic friend-energy perfectly. If Tribute really leans into distinct build paths — tanky grapplers, meter-battery supports, glass-cannon combo fiends — that system could turn every session into a new story.

Reports from the Gamescom demo suggest that even with four players, onscreen chaos stayed readable — no small feat in a pixel-art melee. That’s encouraging, because the downside of opening the map is density and noise. If the team can keep silhouettes distinct and telegraphs clear (Robertson’s art helps here), EX could avoid the usual “where am I?” problem that kills co-op brawlers in busy arenas.

Why This Move Makes Sense Now

Beat ’em ups quietly had a renaissance: Streets of Rage 4 proved there’s an audience, Shredder’s Revenge refined the feel, and River City Girls pushed RPG-lite systems. The next logical step is persistence and player-driven structure. An open Toronto with gangs (Vegans, Robots, Demons) gives a world to bounce off, and the Scott Pilgrim license thrives on riffs, side jokes, and detours. Put simply: this universe wants side quests and absurd minibosses. The question is whether objectives stay inventive over a full campaign. Variety in enemy kits, mission wrinkles, and boss gimmicks will make or break the loop long-term.

Healthy Skepticism Checklist

• Online co-op: Local is confirmed, but in 2026 a co-op brawler without robust online would be a miss. Tribute hasn’t spelled it out; they should.
• Open-city pacing: Freedom is great until it fragments difficulty and undercuts set-piece intensity. Smart gating and evolving enemy pools are key.
• Build balance: Shared currency can spark drama in good ways — until one player snowballs. Expect tuning passes and, ideally, team-wide catch-up mechanics.
• Mission variety: Timed challenges, secrets, and shops sound good on paper; they need mechanical twists, not just checklists.

The good news: the 2026 window gives Tribute time to iterate. Their track record suggests they’ll keep the inputs clean, the hits meaty, and the presentation loud. With O’Malley involved, I’m hoping for story beats that actually land between brawls — not just quips on loading screens.

TL;DR

Scott Pilgrim EX isn’t a quick cash-in; it’s a new, open-city take from a studio that knows how to make fights sing. If the shared-economy co-op and mission variety hold up — and if online play arrives — this could be the next evolution of the modern brawler. Cautious hype feels justified; now it’s on Tribute to stick the landing in 2026.