Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may have begun as a comic, but it owes much of its identity to video games. Bryan Lee O’Malley’s hit series has long drawn inspiration from retro classics like Sonic the Hedgehog and River City Ransom, turning a Toronto-set coming-of-age story into a quirky dating beat-’em-up. That influence has carried through every adaptation, keeping video games at the heart of its visual style across movies and anime. For a series so shaped by gaming, it’s surprising there haven’t been more games of its own—until now.

Figure 1. Scott Pilgrim EX Builds a Retro Toronto with Nod to Chrono Trigger and Sonic.

Scott Pilgrim EX is set to change that. Developed by Tribute Games, the studio behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, it acts as an unofficial follow-up to 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. Like its predecessor, it’s an old-school beat-’em-up rendered in chunky pixel art, paying homage to the 8-bit era that inspired O’Malley’s comics. Figure 1 shows Scott Pilgrim EX Builds a Retro Toronto with Nod to Chrono Trigger and Sonic.

To explore the game’s retro aesthetic, Polygon spoke with Bryan Lee O’Malley and Scott Pilgrim EX lead artist Stéphane Boutin over a video call. Both credited a lineup of classic games as major influences, shaping a fresh take on Scott Pilgrim’s Toronto steeped in nostalgia and pixel-perfect charm.

For Bryan Lee O’Malley, video games have always been inseparable from Scott Pilgrim. The original comic is full of nods to classic titles, from Final Fantasy to Bonk’s Adventure. Yet O’Malley’s true affection lies with River City Ransom, the NES beat-’em-up frequently referenced throughout the series. It wasn’t just a major influence on the comic—it also shaped the first Scott Pilgrim game.

“The core thing is River City Ransom, which I referenced in book two,” O’Malley tells Polygon. “Scott’s high school, I kind of reframed it as River City Ransom or a beat-’em-up. That became the basis for the first game. And it’s also a model for this new game because, for me, River City Ransom is an all-time classic. Obviously, it’s been replicated many times and there are modern versions now, but I can still turn that game on and have a great time.”

That design philosophy lies at the heart of Scott Pilgrim EX’s visual style, according to Stéphane Boutin. Tribute Games aimed to craft a beat-’em-up true to the constraints of the era it draws from, building the world on repeated tiles and other tricks familiar from games like River City Ransom. This approach subtly distinguishes it from Shredder’s Revenge, even though both games share a pixel-art throwback aesthetic on paper.

“For Shredder’s Revenge, we embraced the freedom to make each level one big illustration without repeating tiles,” Boutin explains. “The style is a bit more painterly. With Scott Pilgrim EX, I intentionally brought back some of those old constraints as a stylistic tool—to recapture that stamped, rhythmic feeling. Everything repeats in a way that gives the world its own beat.”

While River City Ransom was a key inspiration, it was far from the only one. Boutin says each section of the map was built around specific references, including games mentioned in the comics. O’Malley points to the expected classics, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, while Boutin drew from some more unexpected sources.

“Many of the environment layouts are inspired by Chrono Trigger,” Boutin notes. “It faded a bit during production, but the castle section is a clear homage. We also looked at a lot of Sonic stuff—not so much in the level design, but in the spirit of it. Sonic has all these quirky machines and gadgets, so we borrowed that vibe for the art, including UI elements like zigzags. Overall, we referenced almost everything this time around.”

How fans will respond to this new approach remains to be seen, but there are already some skeptics regarding the visual style. Boutin notes that the announcement trailer polarized viewers, with reactions split over the game’s departure from the look of the 2010 title. I’m a bit surprised—after all, Scott Pilgrim’s appeal has always relied on reinterpretation, whether it’s reimagining the comic’s art for a live-action movie or completely deconstructing its story in the anime. Surely a shift in pixel-art philosophy alone shouldn’t spark panic.

“People are always scared of whatever’s new, but that’s exactly why it has to be new,” he says. “You have to create something that feels of its time, and you have to be willing to take risks, even if people might not like it. If you just keep repeating the same thing, it doesn’t give me the juice I’m looking for.”

Source: Polygon

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025), Scott Pilgrim EX Constructs a Digital Toronto Using Chrono Trigger and Sonic Elements, AnaTechMaz, pp.345