Scott Pilgrim EXlooks to theZeldafranchise for inspiration, according to an exclusive interview. Speaking with ScreenRant,Scott Pilgrimcreator Bryan Lee O’Malley & Tribute Games Narrative Designer Yannick Belzil revealed the thinking that went into the design of the upcoming new game starring the titular protagonist.
O’Malley and Belzil note that they looked at franchises likeMario, ZeldaandFinal Fantasyfor inspirationfor how to create a game that’s stilldistinctlyScott Pilgrim,but still feels fresh. O’Malley states that he tries to make it possible for players to come into any entry in the franchise completely cold, knowing nothing about it. “You don’t need to know anything going in,” he states.“You learn everything when you start playing the game.”
Belzil adds that the gamepulls from theZeldafranchise, in particular. According to Belzil,Scott Pilgrim EX"exists in sort of a Zelda-like continuitywhere all the events and all the other stuff that happened before is sort of half-remembered in myth." All the previous installments matter, he says, but “it’s not truly hard-line connected.”
Scott Pilgrim EX Exists On A Zelda-Esque Timeline
You Can Play The Game Without Knowing About The Franchise
Tribute Games is no stranger to working with established IPs. The studio’s last big game was the highly praisedold-school side-scrolling beat-‘em-upTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
The development studio will continue in the same style withScott Pilgrim EX,which turns beloved characters Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, and other familiar faces intopixelated side-scrolling fighters. The two will journey through time and space and the streets of Toronto on a journey to rescue Scott’s abducted bandmates from a shadowy organization.
“A question that we get a lot is, ‘How does the game relate to the previous installments?’,” says Belzil. In the case ofScott Pilgrim EX,the game exists at a vague point in the franchise, the same way aZeldagame enters the timeline. The lore around the characters exists, but the goal is to allow players to come into the game knowing nothing about it and still enjoy it.
Scott Pilgrim EX Will Be The Perfect Entry Point For Newcomers
Enjoy A Brand-New Story In The Beloved Franchise
Scott Pilgrim EXwill build on theScott Pilgrimseries lore, butadd plenty of fresh new content for both old-time fans and newcomers to the franchise. Three new gangs, a brand new story, andplenty of Easter eggswill makeScott Pilgrim EXa great place for newbies to jump in.
“Every time I do a Scott Pilgrim thing, I would like new people to discover it,” notes O’Malley. “I always want it to feel fresh.” Fans will get their chance to tryScott Pilgrim EXfor themselves when it arrives on PCs sometime in 2026.
