While Scott Pilgrim vs. the World began as a comic, its identity has always been rooted in video games. Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series draws heavily from retro classics like Sonic the Hedgehog and River City Ransom, turning a Toronto coming-of-age story into a dating beat-’em-up. This gaming influence carries through its adaptations in film and anime, making it striking that the series has produced so few games of its own.

That tally will soon rise to two with Scott Pilgrim EX. Developed by Tribute Games, the studio behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, it serves as an unofficial follow-up to 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. This retro-inspired beat-’em-up features chunky pixel art and leans fully into the 8-bit homage that has long defined Tribute Games’ style.

Figure 1. Scott Pilgrim EX Reimagines Toronto with Chrono Trigger and Sonic Influences

To explore the retro aesthetic of Scott Pilgrim EX, Polygon spoke with Bryan Lee O’Malley and lead artist Stéphane Boutin about the game’s pixel-inspired influences. Both cited a lineup of classic titles as key references, aiming to reimagine Scott Pilgrim’s Toronto through a nostalgic, retro lens. “It’s like if Toronto was built on Mario 2, Mario 3, and Sonic,” Boutin told Polygon. Figure 1 shows Scott Pilgrim EX Reimagines Toronto with Chrono Trigger and Sonic Influences.

For Bryan Lee O’Malley, video games are inseparable from Scott Pilgrim. The original comics abound with nods to classics like Final Fantasy and Bonk’s Adventure, but O’Malley’s true inspiration was River City Ransom, the NES beat-’em-up that influenced both the series and the first Scott Pilgrim game.

O’Malley told Polygon that River City Ransom has always been central to Scott Pilgrim. He framed Scott’s high school in the comics as a beat-’em-up world inspired by the NES classic, which became the foundation for the first game and continues to influence Scott Pilgrim EX. For him, the original River City Ransom remains a timeless classic he can still enjoy today.

For O’Malley, it’s the simplicity of that game’s visuals that speak to him. He praises its blocky characters that are only built from a few colors and simple backdrops that slowly evolve the deeper you fight through the city streets. Boutin finds the same appeal in games like River City Ransom, pointing out how expressive they are because of their limitations, rather than in spite of them.

Boutin explains that the simplicity in retro games can create a sense of unexpected variety. When most elements are uniform, small changes — like a new enemy head type — feel like a completely fresh experience, making even minor variations stand out.

Boutin says that Scott Pilgrim EX’s visual style is guided by a retro design philosophy. Tribute Games aimed to recreate a beat-’em-up within the constraints of the era it references, using repeated tiles and other tricks from classics like River City Ransom. This sets it apart from Shredder’s Revenge, which embraced painterly, non-repetitive levels. In Scott Pilgrim EX, the deliberate repetition becomes a stylistic tool, evoking the rhythm and charm of old-school pixel games.

While River City Ransom was a key inspiration, Tribute Games drew from many sources when crafting Scott Pilgrim EX. Boutin says each map section reflects a specific reference from games mentioned in the comics. O’Malley points to classic arcade brawlers like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, while Boutin also pulled from unexpected titles: sections of the castle were inspired by Chrono Trigger, and Sonic influenced gadgets, machines, and UI design. Overall, the team incorporated references from nearly every game they admired.

O’Malley notes that legal boundaries, like avoiding overt Sonic references, shaped some creative decisions. While classic games inspired Scott Pilgrim EX, the team was encouraged to innovate rather than strictly follow source material. Boutin used mood boards from the comics, movie, and anime but ultimately made his own creative choices [1]. Both emphasize that the game respects its origins while transforming them, taking cues from the Netflix anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which starts faithful to the comics before taking bold, subversive turns. This freedom allowed Tribute to reimagine Toronto as a dynamic, unpredictable playground. The announcement trailer polarized fans due to the visual shift, but O’Malley explains that taking risks and trying something new is central to the series’ enduring appeal: evolution is essential, even if it unsettles some fans.

References:

1. https://www.polygon.com/scott-pilgrim-ex-art-interview/

Cite this article:

Janani R (2025), Scott Pilgrim EX Reimagines Toronto with Chrono Trigger and Sonic Elements, AnaTechMaz, pp. 336