Scott Pilgrim vs. The World video game is stacked with hilarious Toronto references
Whether right now or ten years ago, real life or in 2D, straight up accurate or riddled with pseudonyms, Toronto remains an instantly-recognizable stomping ground for anyone who's ever lived here.
The newly re-released Scott Pilgrim VS The World: The Game — Complete Edition illustrates this point perfectly, perhaps even more so now than it did when the game first came out alongside the cult classic flick starring Michael Cera in 2010.
So @Anxious_Rogue and I decided to play the Scott Pilgrim game and uhhhh...... Is this a feature??? Lol#ScottPilgrimGame pic.twitter.com/clxLGThACR
— Chris Diaz (@Wowenserio) January 16, 2021
Just like the movie, the Scott Pilgrim side-scroller is inspired by Bryan Lee O'Malley's popular, born-in-Toronto graphic novel series of the same name.
You may be asking yourself "isn't the Scott Pilgrim video game based on a comic book or something" well the answer is yes and you can buy it in various formats right here https://t.co/KVlGFRxjNR
— Bryan Lee O'Malley (@bryanleeomalley) January 15, 2021
While popular upon its initial release as a digital-only game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2010, Scott Pilgrim was de-listed in 2014 due to some apparent licensing issues.
Whatever the legal beef was about, the parties involved appear to have squashed it, restoring a clutch piece of the iconic franchise into the hands of fans.
Needless to say, they're stoked.
The #Toronto ❤️ in ⚡Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition⚡is amazing! ⛄️ 🌃 pic.twitter.com/PO3icVlaD3
— Dapper Tux (@Dapper_Tux) January 15, 2021
The game is now available digitally for every major platform, while physical copies from Limited Run Games are also forthcoming and can be pre-ordered as of Friday for PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch.
Out of context Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game pic.twitter.com/YiStvPZBzG
— Moon (@TheOneMoonlight) January 17, 2021
A 2D Beat-em-up by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Chengdu (newly-remastered by EngineSoftware), it's fun — and challenging — to play, for sure, with hundreds of evil boyfriends to pummel against a soundtrack by Anamanaguchi.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is finally back and making me very happy https://t.co/Z6TQgoGbx6 pic.twitter.com/LnfN9RGhuo
— AmericanTruckSongs8 (@ethangach) January 19, 2021
But for Toronto nerds, it's equally as fun just to see local haunts rendered in the gritty, pixelated style that somehow perfectly captures the vibes of 2010 Toronto.
Awesome game. Tough, addictive, and looks great. Game 17 of 2021. #ScottPilgrim #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/lTEomWLWXw
— George (@StobbartCollard) January 19, 2021
First, there's the overworld map (clearly inspired by Super Mario World 3 for NES) featuring local landmarks like the CN Tower and Skydome but also somewhere off-screen called "frozen suburbs" (hehehe.)
It's been a damn minute since I've been back to Downtown Toronto, Ontario, too. And I actually live here!
— 𝘿𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧 Openly Black/Cambliasian 𝙔𝙚𝙣: (@thedollaryen) January 14, 2021
Thanks, Scott Pilgrim. :P pic.twitter.com/oa2TyggD2C
You can also fight jerks all over the city, from the bowels of the TTC...
I can't get enough of this game. I miss it so much #NintendoSwitch #ScottPilgrim pic.twitter.com/wSIEJvRtB6
— Don't Reset (@dontreset75) January 17, 2021
...To what is obviously Lee's Palace.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
— NictussPlaysGames (@NictussPlays) January 15, 2021
New Challenger (SILVER)#PlayStationTrophy #PS5Share, #ScottPilgrimvstheWorldTheGame pic.twitter.com/HPfYaWTqlO
You can even power up by buying nachos from a Sneaky Dee's knockoff called "Dee's Tex Mex" and fight crazy dudes on buses.
Tonight on FB Gaming we're playing TORONTO: THE VIDEO GAME ! (Aka Scott Pilgrim Remastered) - https://t.co/vPhed9fhuk pic.twitter.com/Iv5sUhl9Ct
— Sean Sirianni / The Creative Imbalance (@SeanSirianni) January 15, 2021
While criticized heavily as being buggy, the game has been getting rave reviews.
Maybe it's a nostalgia thing, maybe it's a Toronto thing or maybe it's just nice to play something so fun and colourful while listening to chiptune punk.
One word of caution for out-of-towners from a local via Twitter, however: "Scott Pilgrim the Video game gives an unrealistic expectation of Toronto. That it's some fun and vibrant snowscape where you can punch people and toonies will pop out and it's all backed by a soundtrack by Anamanaguchi. Only the second thing is true and that's a hate crime."
