The World: The Game is every bit a homage to arcade brawlers as the graphic novels (and film) are to the geek culture. It's always fun to go back out and clobber a few bad guys, though some price tags add an unnecessary grind. It's even worse when you're trying to purchase an extra life or an experience boost and end up with a health item or speed increase. Gamer instinct says buy the most expensive item on the list, but if you're trying to boost a specific stat, you'll end up wasting money. A certain album might boost your character's strength, but you won't know it until you actually buy it. For whatever reason, you won't know what you're getting until you purchase it. In addition to food, you can purchase extra lives or upgrades for your character's stats.
Money is used to purchase items in the shopping district. They allow you to recover health, heal allies and call in support from Knives. Managing Guts Points is a big part of gameplay. Special moves are regulated by Guts Points, so you can't find one move and keep spamming it for the entire level. Defeating enemies and purchasing certain items awards experience, unlocking new moves. Granted, part of the fun is playing with friends in the same room, but it's sometimes hard to get a group of four people together, so the option would have been nice.Īll four characters begin the game with a standard set of punches and kicks. Considering the emphasis on team-based play, this is an odd thing to leave out.
The World: The Game ditches online multiplayer. This leads to odd inconsistencies such as our staff play session where I had a level 9 Scott and they were with level 1 characters.Īlthough fun, Scott Pilgrim vs. All this really means is, unless you give every player an ID on your PS3, their character levels won't save if you quit. Oddly enough, characters are tied to your PSN ID. You can also use items found in levels, like bats and snowballs, as weapons.Ĭharacters gain experience and level-up as they progress through the game. There's a simple two-button combat system with occasional D-pad/ button combos to pull off special moves. The World: The Game is an old school brawler in every way possible. Beyond the overworld map, Scott Pilgrim vs. 3-styled map of snowy Toronto, with each of the Evil Exes serving as bosses. Levels are scattered across a Mario Bros. The only thing standing in the way of "Happily Ever After" is Ramona's Seven Evil Exes. so get to reading) - all you really need to know is Scott likes Ramona and Ramona likes Scott. If you haven't read them, it's okay (well, it's not. Up to four players can play as Scott, Ramona, Stills or Kim and fight through the graphic novel's plot. The World: The Game is a brawler in the vein of Streets of Rage, Final Fight or really any beat 'em up to hit arcades in the 80's and 90's. Every track fits the situation and may even cause you to replay a level or two just to hear them again. The soundtrack, which is composed by chiptune punk band Anamanaguchi, outright rocks and will stick with you for days. It's usually a good sign when I actively track down a copy of a game's soundtrack. You'll see characters, businesses and hints of side-plots that never made it into the movie. Character sprites are huge and expertly animated, right down to unique special moves and colorful (if a bit familiar) level exits.įor fans of the graphic novels, levels pack in a number of smaller details, adding another dose of fan service to a game already packed with it. Visuals are directly inspired by Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, but with a retro 16-bit style. If that's the case, it does a great job.ĭon't expect rendered versions of Michael Cera or Mary Elizabeth Winstead (sorry, FenixDown). The World: The Game could be accused of attempting to manufacture nostalgia. Between the retro-styled visuals, chiptune soundtrack and classic brawler gameplay, Scott Pilgrim vs.