Only having seen Scott Pilgrim in the form of user’s avatars on certain forums, I had no idea what I was getting into.

Then I found out Paul Robertson was doing the sprite work. Then I found out Anamanaguchi was doing the soundtrack. If there really was such a thing as a “nerdgasm”, I believe I had one.

Upon hearing this, I proceeded to pre-order the game from Ubisoft’s website. I was also supposed to get a bonus Playstation Home Sex Bob-omb t-shirt. I liked all three of these things, so I decided I had to at least help support the artist and the musicians.

This is the part where I’m supposed to say “BIG MISTAKE” in big bold letters to signify how wrong I was for buying a game on such shallow premises.

The game isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s pretty enjoyable. I haven’t read the comic book, so I can’t comment on how well it follows that.

On the technical side, I felt like the moving mechanic was a bit strange. Walking, running, and moving around seemed to be a lot more difficult than it should have been for a modern game. The fighting mechanic seemed a bit strange as well. You are allowed to play one player, but you’ll have a really hard time NOT DYING A TON unless you grind for levels and play with multiple people who always like to grind for levels.  That being said, I suppose a person could blame dying on one’s inability to be play games.

I find it difficult to review retro styled games because it is hard to differentiate between what is an intentional throwback to bad game design and what might be an actual design flaw.

Technical issues aside, the game is an excellent product. Paul Robertson’s sprites and Anamanaguchi’s music really helped give the game a very unique style that still seems faithful to the comic book style. Although I’ve never read the comic book, I have seen plenty of images. I get this sensation when I play this game that the creator’s vision was fulfilled.

From what I’ve gathered, this game seems to capture everything that Scott Pilgrim embodies. One can only gather so much from gaining a perspective of the aesthetic through google image searches.

Whether you’ve seen the movie, read the comic, or have no experience with the franchise I suggest at least playing th demo. Personal preference dictates that I at least enjoy the aesthetic, but all the mechanical issues should warrant a trial run with the game before any decision is rendered.

It’s not like a large sum of money is required to buy this game. A mere $9.99 will get you this game on PSN. Scott Pilgrim VS The World: The Game is also supposed to be coming to XBLA soon.