At this point, New York-based chiptune rock band Anamanaguchi has defined the bulk of the Scott Pilgrim franchise’s sound. Starting with the soundtrack to Ubisoft’s 2010 beat ‘em up Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game and continuing on with the original manga’s sequel anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), Anamanaguchi’s vibrant, hyperactive blend of 8-bit tunes and rock is inseparable from Scott Pilgrim’s retro-game-infused version of Toronto. With Scott Pilgrim EX, the series returns to the beat ‘em up genre and tags Anamanaguchi back in for their biggest, most sonically expansive project yet.
Since their debut EP Power Supply in 2006, Anamanaguchi have combined 8-bit beats and melodies—programmed on hacked NESs and Game Boys—with their four-piece guitars, bass, and drums. Their sound has evolved since those halcyon days of feel-good, sunshiney chiptunes to be more robust and atmospheric (and to include vocals on 2025’s Anyway). Scott Pilgrim EX exemplifies this growth. Across 71 tracks, there’s an eclectic range of genres (and game hardware!) that flows together like a breathless medley for the game’s open-world Toronto.
There’s a song for every screen. Considering players hustle in and out of each shop, stage, and menu in a matter of seconds, each track wastes no time bringing their melodies. Aside from longer themes in major story quest areas, most tracks loop in under a minute, though that’s not to imply any throwaways here. In this way, Scott Pilgrim EX often reminded me of Toby Fox’s jittery, kitchen-sink soundtracks for Undertale and Deltarune.
Anamanaguchi play around with the unmistakable electric grinding of the Sega Genesis sound palette and feature it prominently in Scott Pilgrim EX. Paired themes “Wallace’s House” and “Wallace Wells” are very Sonic the Hedgehog-coded with their swinging melody and funky bass. “Stephen’s House,” appropriately garage rock to suit Scott’s band Sex Bob-omb, is like biting into tin foil, and the crunchy synth guitars and bass underneath “Metal Scott” are pure Yuzo Koshiro.
“Julie Powers” could easily slot into Earthbound with its jokey, farty trumpets, and I can’t hear the opening of “VPD HQ” (that’s Vegan Police Department) without thinking of F-Zero’s “Big Blue” crashing into the sound profile of Konami’s SNES belt scrollers. “Casa Vania,” a portmanteau of Casa Loma and Castlevania, evokes exploration themes from the Dracula-hunting series’ 2D Metroidvania era. But, as in the game it scores, Scott Pilgrim EX’s retro references are but icing on the cake.
“One More Summer,” a bright track for the first main quest area, fills the void left since “Another Winter” from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game; the two tracks rhyme not only in name but in their fast groove and carefree, nostalgia-laden tone. “High Park” achieves a similar “classic Anamanaguchi” feel, with punchy drums and rhythm guitar gradually tightening the erratic 8-bit melody into a soaring chorus. Later, three “Benvie Tech” tracks pull off another satisfying chorus, repeated and scaled up in drum tempo and intensity from “1F” to “3F.” Towards the end of Scott Pilgrim EX, “United by Fate” is a triumphant culmination harkening to Anamaguchi’s joyful nostalgia.
Scott Pilgrim EX’s many shop themes are a respite from bad guys and a chance for Anamanaguchi to show off their range. The hub-like “Shopping District” is echoing and ambient-melodic in a way that’s very Zelda-fairy fountain. Within that district, themes like “High Fashion” (80s synthwave) and “Hollie Hawkes” (downtempo funk) bring intense personality to one-screen shops that would likely share a single theme in other, larger games. Within a playthrough, you’re likely to retread these areas again and again, but they’re good enough to warrant lingering for just one more loop of the melody.
Other noteworthy creative choices include “Ice Age,” laying lofi blast beats under a slippery, twinkling synth loop. I was surprised soon after by the slow urban pop of “Downtown T.O.”—it’s another oasis from street brawls and hub to shops, though the vibe is surprisingly laid back for the Scott Pilgrim world. Later, “The Wasteland” is dirty, crunchy, and as distorted as a cassette tape being unwound. Then, the cheering samples and the bubblegum pop of “Baby G” are hard not to smile at.
Anamanaguchi have shown in their twenty-plus-year career that they can do more than just reimagine and recreate the heart-racing joy many of us got booting up our first favourite console time and again. Scott Pilgrim EX’s magical realist, rose-tinted-retro Toronto delivers once more on that joyful feeling, but also bundles a 90-minute medley of more diverse emotions and sound palettes than we’ve ever seen in their game soundtrack work. These songs are here for a good time, not for a long time, and yet, this soundtrack will be the part of the game that sticks with me the longest and brings me back to its pixelated streets.
Scott Pilgrim EX (Original Soundtrack) is streaming everywhere and available for digital purchase. My favourite tracks include “One More Summer,” “Ice Age,” and “Metal Scott.”
