Have you ever been madly in love with someone? Would you do anything to win their heart, even if it meant risking all of your extra lives or your spare quarters?

For just $10 on the Playstation Network, you can win Ramona Flowers’s heart from the safety of your living room couch in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game by Ubisoft.

However, the task is still daunting. You must travel through Toronto, Canada, to defeat all seven of her evil exes and their persistent cronies in order to claim your prize: a kiss from Ramona herself.

Story

Scott Pilgrim: The Game is more based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels than the newly released movie.  If you have not heard of Scott Pilgrim at all and you still want to play the game, the good news is there are not too many spoilers because there is little story or dialogue throughout the game.

However, this is not really a problem. The goal of this game is to imitate other classic arcade beat-em-up games – where you would have to insert quarters after every restart – so storytelling takes a backseat to playing the game.

Graphics/Aesthetics

The art style of Scott Pilgrim is reminiscent of a Super Nintendo game, with bright, two-dimensional graphics and pixelated characters and environments. Art direction is based on the graphic novel, so characters from the game look more like their counterparts from the comics than the movie.

Throughout the game, you will find loads of references and throwbacks to other video game series. Be sure to look carefully at each environment as you may find elements of your favorite games in each new area.

Gameplay

As the title of the game suggests, you literally face the world as you play through this side-scrolling beat-em-up. The game is similar to other classics, such as Streets of Rage or River City Ransom, in that you must bash hordes of AI in order to reach the stage mini-boss or main boss.

As you travel through all seven stages, you can collect money to buy items that can help increase your health and stat points.

Defeating your foes is also important in Scott Pilgrim. The experience you gain through fighting helps you level up and unlock powerful moves. These moves can increase the amount of damage you give, as well as add new abilities such as double jumping.

Scott Pilgrim: The Game can be played with up to four players locally. Each player can select their own Playstation profile to play with their character. However, there are several disadvantages to co-op.

One drawback to the multiplayer mode is that each player must level their own individual character from the start. No matter where you are in the game, if another player joins that has not previously played, the rest of your team may be at a sudden disadvantage.

Another issue with multiplayer mode is that Scott Pilgrim scales the amount of enemies on the screen based on how many players you have. So if you have a poorly leveled teammate, you may be forced to pick up the slack.

Sound

The music and sound of Scott Pilgrim: The Game is an exciting and interesting fusion of guitar, drums and retro chip tunes (eight-bit sound effects or instruments).

The game’s music was written by Anamanaguchi, a chip tune punk band from New York. Most of the music is very upbeat during the game, and the eight-bit style added an additional level of nostalgia.

Overview/Closing Thoughts

Overall, Scott Pilgrim: The Game is really worth the download. With its vibrant 2D graphics, original eight-bit fusion soundtrack and multiplayer options, you will have fun beating up on all of the bad guys. And if you happen to have an Xbox instead of a PS3, do not fret! Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game will be released on Aug. 25 for Xbox Live Arcade download.