Toronto is in turmoil! As the mysterious GCorp takes over the Queen City, the members of Sex Bob-Omb have been kidnapped by Metal Scott. Ramona, Scott and a couple of her evil Exes band together to venture across the City to save it from these ominous forces.

One of the many places the gang will have to explore will be the shadowy halls of…Casa Vania.

Scott Pilgrim EX is different from our previous two beat’em up titles: while it still has a lot of fighting, we wanted to add much bigger exploration and character interaction elements. The resulting game is a sort of “brawling adventure” hybrid. Players will be free to trek all over Toronto, visit shops, equip items and encounter their favorite characters from the Scott Pilgrim world.

But of course, adventures require zones and a variety of environments. This led our team to create a warped version of Toronto for players to discover along with the game’s numerous quests.

In The Hidden Castle, the third quest of Scott Pilgrim EX, the players must jump, punch and flip kick their way through demonic gangs in order to gain access to the somber staircases of Casa Vania.

Credit: Scott Pilgrim moveset frames illustrated by Jonathan Kim

Once they’ve entered the castle’s gloomy corridors, they find none other than…Goth Neil?

Seemingly transformed, Sex Bob-Omb’s biggest fan has fallen under the thrall of a dark figure! While he seems like an invention for SP:EX, Goth Neil’s hails from the pages of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s own sketchbook:

“In the original Scott Pilgrim books, there’s a big “Day of the Dead” party. I did some early sketches of Young Neil in a goth outfit, but he didn’t make the final cut. 

Those sketches were published in later editions of the books, and some fans loved them. That’s part of the genesis of Goth Neil. Young Neil is a character who is always a bit child-like and naïve.” I initially sketched him holding an “egg-like rock”, but we later flipped the concept so that he’s holding a regular rock, which he thinks is a dinosaur egg. 

The animators gave him so much quirky personality. I don’t remember who suggested he transform into a bat, but we thought it was so funny.”

– Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of Scott Pilgrim

Goth Neil leaves the scene in his own inimitable style.

But who rules over Casa Vania? Who has bewitched Young Neil so? None other than Lady Envy!

In Scott Pilgrim EX, we wanted players to face colorful bosses while keeping in mind that fans of the Pilgrim world, whether they’re books, movies or animation, still wanted to see their favorite characters. We arrived at the idea that every “warped” environment would be headed by themed versions of recognizable faces from the Pilgrim canon. O’Malley tells us more about Lady Envy’s origins:

“A project like this is a big collaboration between so many artists and storytellers. Lady Envy was one of the first bosses we discussed. She’s a mashup of so many fun references and homages to classic games we loved from the 80s-90s (“Casa Vania”). She might bring to mind a few more modern references, too. 

She’s a cool horror-vampire-pirate pastiche, plus some pop-star flair to make her feel like the Envy Adams we know and love.”

– Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of Scott Pilgrim

Credit: Lady Envy & Goth Neil design sketches by Bryan Lee O’Malley

As Quest 3’s boss, Lady Envy will challenge the players with her dual blades and magical attacks.

Will you be up to the challenge? Save Neil, the rest of the band, Toronto and more in Scott Pilgrim: EX, available March 3rd on PS4 and PS5.