Scott Pilgrim EX review: Toronto needs rescuing, but first there is something to throw

The big picture

Scott Pilgrim EX finds Toronto overrun by vegans, robots and demons, with Scott's bandmates abducted and several former enemies available to help. It is a complicated social situation to resolve through brawling, but the setting has never insisted that emotional difficulties remain separate from boss fights. There are quests, upgrades and objects to throw, so at least everyone has something practical to contribute while the relationships sort themselves out.

Tribute Games' new adventure has differing official launch labels: Steam currently lists March 2, 2026, while the publisher's full-launch announcement and Xbox and Nintendo stores give March 3. The reason for that calendar difference is not established. Released platforms are Windows, Linux, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Earlier public access was a demo, and this is a distinct new story, not another edition of the older Scott Pilgrim game.

The surroundings would like to join the fight

The developer FAQ names improvised weapons including rocks, volleyballs and shells. That gives the environment a practical role. A character's carefully defined fighting style can coexist with the discovery that something convenient is lying nearby and might be introduced to an opponent at speed.

This suits the setting's absurdity. An elaborate special attack and an opportunistic throw do not need to belong to separate tones. They can both be sensible responses inside a world where personal conflict has already become an action sequence. The useful question is what the situation offers, rather than whether the available object respects your chosen character's aesthetic.

Coins, equipment and upgrades add a longer-term reason to care about incidental fights and exploration. Your immediate decisions feed the character you are developing, which can make a detour feel like part of the same project instead of a pause before the actual game resumes.

That structure is also a taste divide. Some groups enjoy shopping and searching as breathing room between combat. Others want an evening consisting primarily of attacks and objects travelling through the air. More systems are not automatically better for both audiences, especially when several people are sharing the decision about where to go next.

Arcade Mode makes a different sort of evening possible

The free August 27 Coin-Op Chaos update adds Arcade Mode, with lives, credits, score chasing and more direct stage-to-stage progression. It offers a released alternative for players who prefer a concentrated brawler run to the adventure's broader wandering.

That is a meaningful distinction because it changes the context around the same combat. The adventure invites longer-term development and curiosity. Arcade Mode focuses the session on a more direct sequence of challenges. You can choose the pace rather than insisting that everybody who enjoys the characters must also enjoy the same amount of browsing around Toronto.

The update also adds three save slots and a temporary online save that can be copied into a slot, with related adjustments to New Game+ and achievement tracking. Those are useful practical changes for anyone playing with different groups or maintaining separate progress. The save menu should not have to become the evening's most difficult cooperative encounter.

Back in the Band is paid character DLC, separate from that free update. Its additional fighters should not be counted among the seven characters every base-game buyer receives. Arcade Mode can be discussed as a substantial free addition without quietly bringing the paid expansion along as an unannounced guest.

Agree on the destination before everyone starts moving

Local and online drop-in/drop-out cooperation supports up to four players, alongside solo play. The Xbox listing confirms those options, with individual console online-service requirements separate from owning the game. Switch 2 compatibility also should not be mistaken for a native Switch 2 edition.

Scott Pilgrim EX is most inviting when expressive fighters, upgrades and a profoundly silly city sound like a good combination. The released arcade alternative broadens the choice of structure, while the adventure gives exploration-minded players more room. Bring friends if you like, but settle whether tonight is for searching or fighting. Toronto has enough conflict without the rescue party arguing about whether to check one more shop.