The Scott Pilgrim comics are riddled with references and Easter eggs to tons of video games. That’s because the author, Brian Lee O'Malley, is a big fan of them which is why he was more than thrilled at the idea of his comic not only being turned into a live action film but a video game as well.
So it should come as no surprise then that this game is also filled with references to video games and nerd culture from character moves to design choices to shop items. There are too many games and series to get into but these ten are among the best.
10 Kunio-kun Nods
This game owes a lot to the Kunio-kun franchise most notably for River City Ransom on the NES. The overall structure to this game is similar from the brawler gameplay to enemies bursting into coins to leveling up via food vendors. Another Kunio-kun reference is with Sex Bob-omb’s rival band, Crash and the Boys. This name is a reference to the NES game Crash 'n' the Boys: Street Challenge which was like a mini game collection.
9 Clash At Demonhead Nods
The author of the comics, Brian Lee O'Malley, has stated that the first NES game he ever got was Clash at Demonhead. That’s why Envy’s band is titled The Clash at Demonhead. It goes beyond that though in this game because on level five players can come across the game’s protagonist Billy "Big Bang" Blitz. There are also skull suited enemies in the crowd which might be a reference to Tom Guycot, one of the villains from the NES classic.
8 More Brawler Nods
Besides River City Ransom, there are various other smaller nods to more retro brawlers. The menu pause music is very similar to that of Battletoads.
On level six players can come across little elves that look and act like the thieves from the Golden Axe series. The last level is also strikingly similar to the Technodrome from various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games and the Bee-O enemies look a lot like their Mousers.
7 Zelda Nods
Nega Scott could be a callback to Shadow Link from Zelda II. Another reference from that game can be found in a secret shop on level six. The layout is very similar to the houses in that game. Just outside of the pathway to this shop is a key resting atop a pedestal and guarded by owls which must be a reference to the Master Sword from the Zelda series. The most notable reference to this series comes from Gideon’s upside down Triforce symbol.
6 Mega Man Nods
Scott’s animation that plays out after a level is done can be linked to how Mega Man exits stages as well. In the Techno Base shop players can buy an Energy Tank to max out health. These are small compared to the actual end of the game. Once players defeat Gideon’s “Final form” the simulation will break and they will see Gideon working behind a machine. This is almost the exact same setting as the Dr. Wily final boss in Mega Man 2.
5 Mario Nods
Let’s go through the biggest Mario nods game by game. From Super Mario Bros. there are the coin blocks in the Subspace highways and the various pipes seen throughout the map and with Stephen’s warp animation. From Super Mario Bros. 2 there is the character select screen, turnips that can be picked up as weapons, and the name for Sex Bob-omb. And lastly, from Super Mario World there is the map layout and the final scene with Gideon’s fortress crumbling akin to how castles crumble in that game.
4 Castlevania Nods
Roxy Richter is the fourth evil ex players will fight on level four. Roxy Richter’s name can be traced back to Richter Belmont, the hero of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. She even uses a whip-like sword. Another thing some fans think us a reference is from Gideon’s chair. Once he gets out of it it turns into bats making one believe he might be a stand in for Dracula.
3 Sonic Nods
Another reference linked to Roxy is with her death animation. Once defeated she turns into animals which look like the critters saved at the end of Sonic levels.
For a fun side fact, there is a cheat to turn all money into animals. This is not a reference to Sonic as well, but is instead just a cute cheat for those wishing to check it out,
2 Street Fighter Nods
Scott’s move-set could be linked to various Street Fighter characters, most notably Ryu. His spinning kick is one example. Another character that shares moves from this series is Todd. His shock attack looks a lot like Blanka's. He even hunches over. A better reference can be seen in level two with the car destruction challenge which was big in Street Fighter 2.
1 Resident Evil Nods
These last few Easter eggs might just be coincidences. For example, level six has zombies randomly in it, but zombies are older than Resident Evil so that’s a stretch. The Doberman dog enemies could be a more direct reference to this series though. Lastly, the bus crashing into that restaurant on level four looks a lot like the tram colors from Resident Evil 3 which also crashes at one point.