Cuphead REALLY makes me feel like a cup. A cup hell-bent on complete domination after getting involved with Satan himself after losing a very important bet. Granted, not many cups do be like you so the relatability bar is very low. Then again, the bar for gaming journalism is even lower. After taking the world by storm in 2017, Cuphead became an instant classic.
The unique animation style, addictive and polished gameplay, difficulty, music, it all resonated with millions over the globe and immediately established Studio MDHR as one of the best indie studios on the planet. Its founders, the Moldenhauer bros, aimed to recreate the platforms and shoot 'em ups of yore and decided for an unusual aesthetic - hand-drawn cartoons made by Disney and Fleischer Studios during the 30's.
However, an undertaking of this scope and a team of their size (14 people) required time so Cuphead spent seven years in development. At one point the brothers remortgaged their houses AND worked part-time jobs but in the end the risks payed off and Cuphead ended up as a huge success and I have no trouble putting it among the greatest indie games of all time.
Your quest is simple, gather the souls of fellow Inkwell Isles inhabitants and deliver them to the Devil. Logically, because these are souls we're talking about, you'll be met with resistance, A LOT of it. You have two ways about going about it, be a Chad and play it solo or team up with someone and play co-op. I recommend that you first finish the game yourself because otherwise your friend/significant other/sibling will end up carrying the hell out of you.
Anyhow, after choosing how you'll play you enter the notorious tutorial level. Now I know what you're thinking, how is a tutorial level posing any threat? Well it's not, unless you're a game journalist that is. You see, Cuphead is known for many things but one of the biggest ones is this tutorial level and the obligatory Dark Souls comparisons because no game in the history of our planet was difficult before Miyazaki and his team stepped in.
This video right here is one of the best examples of why most game journalists are regarded as a joke. Honestly, I am glad this happened because it reignited a very legitimate discussion and pointed out the poor state of media because the same things are happening in film and music side of things, the only difference is that in games you can very easily tell on what level a person who playing it and how much said person understands them.
So after beating this hellishly tough stage you enter Inkwell Isle and here is where the real journey begins. There are 19 bosses and 6 run 'n gun stages between you and victory and each is designed to test your skills and patience, especially the latter as I took numerous breaks from the game which is why it took me about a year to beat it. The fact I had to relearn the controls and get back in the groove after each multi-month pause certainly didn't help my case.
Speaking of which, I highly recommend you map the controls yourself because the default preset is horrible and one of the only downsides of Cuphead. That way you'll ensure maximal comfort and you'll need that because you'll be dying, A LOT.
That number you see beneath is quite big and honestly shameful given my track record but in my defense, those long pauses really did a proper number on me so I suggest you don't do them haha. And don't game hop like I tend to do, especially between four or more games because you'll start mixing up the controls real fast.
With my epic gamer cardâ„¢ relatively intact, let's talk mechanics and game design! Like I mentioned, Cuphead is a retro experience first and foremost but that does not mean it's dated, on the contrary! The level of polish and attention to detail are staggering and even with the simplistic control scheme, the game feels fresh and runs perfectly. Sure there were some iffy hitbox registers but that's a given in this genre.
Now, for the vast majority of your gameplay, you'll be fighting bosses, mostly on the ground as there are a few airplane stages which are especially tricky coughs in Wally Warbles. This is where those 6 run 'n gun stages I mentioned come in, they break up the gameplay loop nicely and feature some of the best level design in the game but make no mistake, some of these are very hard, "Perilous Piers" being the hardest for me and it's only because of this damn octopus near the finish line. Things get extremely hectic and between you dodging five thousand things on screen you also gotta keep the octopus moving, otherwise it sinks and you die.
Of course, you'll have a number of tools to make your journey easier - six weapon types, six charms and three super arts and all but the super arts can be unlocked by spending coins you earn via run 'n gun stages. This gives you a plethora of options for taking down each boss and the fact you can carry two weapon types makes your ventures that much fun and dare I say more fair. The charms are upgrades like an extra hit point, auto parry or the absolutely mandatory smoke dash which allows you to dash through missiles, goons and even some bosses. If you haven't played this game and you plan to, remember to get that smoke dash soon as soon as you can, it's a game changer and makes some fights much more bearable. As for the super arts, you get each by completing a mausoleum level and they are essentially your super move. The only one I consistently used is the first one though so take that as you wish.
Another great inclusion to the game are the death cards. In most games you'll just have a screen that says "YOU DIED" or "GAME OVER" but here you get an indicator that shows you how close you were to the finish line and taunts from the boss! Most are charming, some hilarious but all that humor and charm disappears when you get salty and ESPECIALLY when you see how close you were like here.
These and certain unlucky instances of RNG will be the main sources of your NaCl levels but let us not forget that bosses themselves can be the biggest reason behind your tilt and in my case a few of them were really pushing my tolerance. Imagine getting so upset that you start overlooking the amazing visuals and music and if you don't think that's possible, just you wait hehe.
The amazing thing about all this is how much your personality comes in when playing so every discussion about bosses is different and engaging. I'll offer my ranking of them below so we can have a civil discussion (come at me you wankers) if you so desire.
With all that out of the way let's finally talk about the music! Just like its aesthetic, Cuphead's score is rooted in the 30's. 30's jazz, swing and ragtime to be more precise and this was possible by the Moldenhauer bros turning to their childhood friend and composer Kristofer Maddigan. It's important to note that he never composed a score for a game prior and let me tell ya, I would've never guessed it because the soundtrack is sensational. It was a huge undertaking as well and one that required almost 50 musicians of all shapes and sizes to make it all work. The instruments range from your usual pianos, stringed quartets and brass sections to more obscure stuff such as a barbershop quartet, xylophone, flugelhorn and even a tap dancer to perfectly recreate that era of music. And just like the game, the music is an homage of sorts but one that is still completely and utterly its own entity.
Each piece is extremely well composed, catchy, fun and perfectly illustrates the thing it's about, be it a homicidal plant or the isle itself. That's so tough to pull off considering there is almost three hours of music presented but the team made it work.
Deciding for just one or two tracks is impossible so here's a "few" of my favorites! "Ruse Of An Ooze", "Clip Joint Calamity", "Carnival Kerfuffle", "Fiery Frolic", "Railroad Wrath", "Inkwell Hell" and the very Calloway-like "Die House".
To show you just how amazing the soundtrack is, let's take a look at... "Railroad Wrath"!
Like in the fight, you're immediately greeted with a musical onomatopoeia where trombones mimic the train horns and this is immediately followed by another onomatopoeia where drums imitate the delay steam locomotives do while accelerating. Only then do we settle in a nice groove and let me tell ya, it's a wild one.
It matches the frenetic pace of the encounter thus providing the player with energy needed to get through this fight and it thematically matches the phase shifts and the fight's setting.
The interplay between the brass and rhythm section is INSANE and those sax and bass solos get me every time. Out of all the 52 tracks presented, this is surely among the most complex ones to play and somehow it still manages to be catchy AND sneak in a short Bach segment. The surprises don't end up there but I think this proves my point.
If you're not acquainted with jazz but don't know where to start, look no further and I mean that.
And no matter how many times I died, raged or felt tired, the music was there to back me up and I am sure it will do so to you.
As a whole, Cuphead is a resounding success and there are good reasons behind it. Once again this showed the unwavering creativity present in the indie scene as well as a proof that studios like MDHR, Supergiant, Motion Twin and many others deserve the accolades they've been receiving and more.
As for this game, it's as good as it gets in this genre and if you haven't picked it up yet, now is the perfect time to do so because it seems that long-awaited DLC is finally approaching its release date.
Remember this though, when it gets tough, take a break if you need it or push through until you're victorious because the game will test your limits but all the troubles are worth it.
Trust me, few things match the intensity of that dopamine rush you get after beating a boss that's been kicking your ass. This not only makes you feel like a god but it also improves you as a player. And even if you're new to the genre give this a whirl, I guarantee you won't regret it... eventually hehehe. Because of this one could call Cuphead "The Dark Souls of regrets"... OK I'll stop hahaha.
And now for my list of Cuphead bosses, ranked from hardest to easiest. Keep in mind of the difficulty spike some of these bosses represent before start asking why Kahl's Robot or Brineybeard aren't higher up because I AM READY TO THROW DOWN BROS. Seriously though, fuck King Dice.
1. King Dice
2. Grim Matchstick
3. Rumor Honeybottoms
4. Wally Warbles
5. The Devil
6. Beppi The Clown
7. Djimmi The Great
8. Baroness Von Bon Bon
9. Phantom Express
10. Captain Brineybeard
11. Ribby And Croaks
12. Dr. Kahl's Robot
13. Sally Stageplay
14. Werner Werman
15. Hilda Berg
16. Cala Maria
17. Cagney Carnation
18. The Root Pack
19. Goopy Le Grande