Scott Pilgrim EX Continues the Netflix Show's Rehabilitation of its Punchy Slacker Hero – and Might be a Good Beat 'em Up Too

This year, one of my favorite pieces of internet television returned to the screen in the form of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a Netflix anime series that cleverly subverted expectations while still honoring the spirit of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels. The latest addition to the Scott Pilgrim franchise is Scott Pilgrim EX, a 2026-bound sidescrolling action brawler from Tribute Games, which promises to build upon the growth and self-awareness of its predecessor.

The game takes place in an alternate timeline not long after the events of Takes Off, and sees Scott Pilgrim teaming up with friends and foes to battle demons and fitness bros on the streets of Toronto. During a demo at Gamescom, I spent around 30 minutes playing as Roxie Richter, an ex-girlfriend of Ramona Flowers' who possesses ninja-like abilities.

One of the most noticeable improvements over the original Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game is its focus on combat beyond just punching enemies from left to right. EX seems to have taken cues from its predecessor while also learning from its mistakes. Enemies are now more numerous and aggressive, leading to a faster-paced game that rewards flashy combos and strategic thinking.

Structurally, Scott Pilgrim EX has gained an appreciation for RPG-lite questing and a more open structure, allowing players to move freely between districts without being forced back onto an overworld map. This newfound freedom enables the game to showcase its diverse environments and enemy encounters in greater detail. I had the chance to test this out with my team – playing as Roxie, a developer, and a fellow press hack as Scott and Ramona – during our demo mission.

Our task was to blast apart an interdimensional iceberg that was disrupting everyone's beach day, leading to a quest where we fought from the shoreline to the streets to a burger restaurant with a Giant Adam West Bomb dispenser. By returning and detonating the ice, we opened a portal to an ancient tundra, where we battled – and ultimately lost to – a vegan dinosaur.

This seemingly random encounter was actually a clever reference to a character from another part of the Pilgrimverse, Todd "Dust By Monday" Ingram, and added a layer of depth to the game's world that felt both nostalgic and fresh. The roaming structure of the missions allows for even more scenery and enemy variety within individual challenges.

One aspect that might worry fans of Takes Off is whether EX will continue with the anime's introspective tone. However, it seems that this new installment will benefit from occupying a different era in the Pilgrimverse – one free from problematic elements like age-gap romances or pixie-dream-girl framing.

Ramona Flowers, the true protagonist of Takes Off, takes on a leadership role here, and her emotional investment has had a positive impact on the game's design. The inclusion of former enemies as playable characters adds to the game's roster of specialized fighters, making for a more interesting mix than the original's mostly average Canadian cast.

The most significant improvement over its predecessor is Scott Pilgrim himself – being far less of a self-centered knob in this installment. With Scott Pilgrim EX, Tribute Games seems to have matured their approach while still retaining the essence that made the original game enjoyable. I'm excited to see how this new direction will unfold.

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