Though it’s not the original Ubisoft developers that created Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game behind the upcoming quasi-sequel, Scott Pilgrim EX, Universal picked arguably the perfect team to make this game in Tribute Games. Behind great beat ’em ups like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and hard at work on Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Tribute Games feels like a perfect match for Scott Pilgrim’s next beat ’em up adventure if my 30-minute hands-on demo during Gamescom 2025 is any indication.
If you’ve played Shredder’s Revenge, Scott Pilgrim EX will feel familiar. Beyond it being the same developer, Scott Pilgrim EX is being developed in the same engine as Tribute Games’ previous TMNT game. Honestly, “familiar” is a word I thought a lot about while playing this demo (complimentary). It plays familiarly because of the engine; it sounds familiar because Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game composer Anamanaguchi is back in the composer chair for Scott Pilgrim EX. Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley is working with Tribute Games on the game’s narrative; and of course, some of the characters you know and love (and hate) are back.
With 15 years in between Scott Pilgrim vs The World and Scott Pilgrim EX, it was nice jumping into the latter and realizing almost immediately that Tribute Games did an excellent job at emulating the arcade fun of the former. But for all the familiarity of Scott Pilgrim EX, what I’m most impressed with is the ways Tribute Games is attempting to evolve the beat ’em up formula it’s been working in for so long, with smart inspiration from the River City Ransom series.
Before hopping into a stage, myself and the other members of the press I was playing with in this 4-player couch co-op session selected our characters. I chose Ramona Flowers, the magic-user, and my colleagues selected Scott, the all-rounder character, Roxie Richter, the “tiny terror” and ninja with smoke bombs and more, and finally, League of Evil exes brawler Lucas Lee. We then selected our stage from the sprawling map of Toronto, Canada, and jumped right into the action. The combat feels great, with combos galore baked into each character, and unlockables, accessories, and more to collect as you progress.
We’re guided toward our main objective, with word from Tribute that side objectives or side quests exist to pick up, too – we later complete one that tasked us with defeating a set number of enemies in a specific period of time. This takes us right across the screen to another area of town, but going from left to right is not the name of this beat ’em up game. Instead, we traversed all across the map, beating up enemies along the way and stopping at shops to heal up and purchase new items to equip, left and right, up and down. Scott Pilgrim EX is not a linear adventure, and seeing a game in this genre going wide is an exciting change.
Thirty minutes wasn’t enough to see just how wide Scott Pilgrim EX goes, but what I’ve already seen has me excited at the prospects. I love the beat ’em up genre, but they feel centered around arcade fun exclusively, often shallow in depth as a result. Scott Pilgrim EX seems keen to change that, providing the arcade fun you know and love of Scott Pilgrim and adding unique touches of depth that I think could keep me playing long after I finish the golden path with open map traversal, RPG aspects, and more.
These four characters were great fun, if the enthusiasm my colleagues and I shared means anything, and with seven planned for the final game, I look forward to who else Tribute Games has added to this adventure. But for now, I wait.
Scott Pilgrim EX launches on PC and consoles in early 2026.
