Cuphead

Oh, craps! ...Oh, crap.

“Oh golly gee, it seems that Cuphead has put himself and his pal Mugman in a heap o’ trouble! He went to the casino on the wrong side of the tracks, and gambled and gambled. He likes to roll the dice! But then the Devil came, and they played his game, and he got them trapped like mice! And now they’ve been tasked with collecting the souls of other debtors, in order to salvage their own!”

Cuphead is one of the surprise indie hits of 2017. It's been a long time coming, in production since 2013, but no one thought it would become so popular.  If you visit any gaming community, chances are that you’ve heard a lot about it already. It has since become famous for the crazy amount of detail given to its art style… and infamous for its crazy difficulty.

They stand on chips but they're not chipped!

Made by MDHR Studios, Cuphead is an attempt at making a video game with the aesthetics of an old cartoon from the 1930s, mostly those of Fleischer Studios. Anyone who knows cartoons of that decade will remember the defining elements: Constant surreal transformations, great designs everywhere… also, everything moves. The cartoons of that era, for some reason, seemed to believe that the viewer would get bored if everything wasn’t in constant motion. Screen static and poor video quality are a part of the effects used for the game, another throwback to the technology of the era, and we also get a soundtrack composed of jazz music played by a big band.

Everything about this game is brilliant, and I’m about to tell you all about it.

Whoa, the Devil is a lot taller in person.
Though, if he stopped changing size...

The plot is very simple. Cuphead and Mugman went to the casino, gambled, and eventually the casino’s owner, King Dice, raised the stakes, bringing in his boss, the Devil himself. Under promise of great reward, Cuphead was pushed into gambling some more… but lost. The Devil is however a clever guy, and he says that his new lackeys can go free… that is, if they can defeat the other debtors that the Devil has accumulated over time, and collect their soul contracts. And oh yeah, since these guys all struck deals with the Devil, it’s possible that they’ve gained special powers of their own too, so the fights will be harder than they imagine.

The game takes every effort to resemble an oldie cartoon, and in fact makes numerous references to the legendary animators of the day. The setting is named Inkwell Isles, as an homage to the first Fleischer cartoon that combined animation and live-action, named “Out Of The Inkwell” (Thanks TVTropes!). It’s divided into a greener island, a carnival area and a downtown area, all of which precede the cave in which the casino is found.

Also a perfect moment to be amazed at how beautiful everything looks in
this game. Seriously, click this image and see the large version.

There’s a a total of 19 bosses in the game, 17 of which are the Devil’s debtors. Say what you want about the guy, he sure is a hard worker. Sloth isn’t his favorite sin. The game is divided as such:

So, the Goddess of this world is a Cuphead type of person.
Cuphead = Chosen One to kill the Devil confirmed.

-Boss levels, most of which are fought in a “Run’n’Gun” fashion, and some which are battled with a plane in a shoot’em-up à la R-Type;

-Run’n’Gun levels, six of them, which are very reminiscent of older games like Contra;

-And Mausoleum levels, three of them, where you must only parry on ghosts trying to reach an urn. Each Mausoleum level completed will grant you a new Super Art, courtesy of a goddess with an urn for a head. Well, you certainly urn-ed it!

Not shown: Parrying, dashing, special attacks, or anything
else I'm discussing here.

The system is relatively simple, although mastering it takes time, especially if you’re playing on a keyboard. Cuphead and Mugman can walk, jump around and shoot, that’s the basics. There’s the Parry move, which is vital to master if you want to get far in the game. Basically, pressing the Jump button again while in midair causes the cup-headed protagonist to spin, gaining a new “card” if they successfully parry into a pink object on the screen. There’s also the option to Dash, which becomes vital later on in order to avoid some of the more dangerous attacks or stay in the air for a little longer. As they shoot at enemies and Parry off pink items in their way, Cuphead and Mugman collect cards. Using one card will unleash the current weapon stronger's form, while using it after collecting 5 cards will unleash a Super Art gained from a Mausoleum level (which is either a flow of liquid that heavily damages the boss, temporary invincibility, or the summon of a ghost of yourself that damages the boss). Pick the ones that serve you best!

Left to right, one row at a time: Peashooter, Spread,
Chaser, Lobber, Charge, Roundabout.
In the background, you can recognize the Casino,
so if I'm here changing my set of weapons, it's because
either King Dice or the Devil just kicked my ass.

He may look like a nasty pirate or Bond villain... but you'd
be mistaken, he's not a Bond villain.

Same for the weapons. You start with the Peashooter, but there’s a shop found in Inkwell Isles where you can buy more weapons or special abilities (known as Charms). Porkrind the affable, if menacing, shopkeeper will take you in with a gravelly “WELCOME!” and let you look at his selection. However, you need coins! Where do you get coins? Well, there’s a few coins scattered around the world maps, and completing a few side-quests can let you earn more – however, your main source of income is the “Run’n’Gun” levels, each one containing 5 coins, for a total of 30 coins available through those. If you want every item in the shop, you know what to do: Find all the danged coins! Once you’re back in Porkrind’s shop, you can go to town and shop like it’s the Golden Years all over again!

On the side of weapons, since you must equip a main weapon and a secondary one (so that you can freely switch between the two during a level), you have plenty of options. For balance, all weapons have a set damage and range, but sometimes have drawbacks.

Shown: The Spread.
And a nifty little coin, illustrating my point about
collecting coins in the previous paragraph.

-The Peashooter is the starting weapon, so it’s got average damage and reach, but will only shoot straight in the direction you aim;

-The Spread, much like in Contra, will unleash loads of bullets at once in the direction you’re aiming, but they’re only good if you hit the enemy with many of them at once, and they have poor range;

-The Chaser is a head-seeking weapon, but its damage is very low – and you can hardly control what it’ll aim for, since many bosses make use of summoned underlings in their fight and the Chaser might choose to go after the closest enemy, which isn' always the boss;

-The Lobber will bounce on the floor for a bit when shot, so it can be good against ground enemies. However, it can’t go very high, so it's near-useless against flying enemies. Lastly, its attack power is good, but its range is weak;

-The Charge may be one of the best weapons, as it has incredible attack power when fully charged. However, you hold the button to charge and release to shoot, unlike every other weapon in the game that shoots constantly when you hold down the button. The weapon also shoots if you dash forward, forcing you to charge all over again, so be wary of that;

-Last is the Roundabout, which has poor range forward but will boomerang and backwards, hitting enemies behind you, and its range is great there. Useful for bosses that stay behind you, and it has decent damage, but you can’t control the height at which it’ll go once it goes backwards, nor what it’s gonna hit in this instance.

And now, the Charms, which are very special talents that can greatly help you.

Left to right, one row at a time: Heart, Coffee, Smoke
Bomb, P. Sugar, Twin Heart, Whetstone.

-Heart: You start a fight with one more Hit Point, but your attack is weaker as a result, meaning that the Hit Point you gain could be wasted as you spend more time dodging enemy attacks;

-Twin Heart: Same, except it adds two Hit Points instead, and makes your attacks even weaker;

-Coffee: Your card meter will constantly fill up, even if you don’t hit opponents (which is normally the only way to fill it up), though it’ll fill even faster if you hit opponents too;

-Smoke Bomb: When you dash forward, the character will disappear and reappear instead of just zooming. Like a ninja. This is a great way to pass through enemies and avoid some large-range enemy attacks, but it’s tricky to master;

-P. Sugar: AKA Parry Sugar, which will cause you to parry as soon as you jump – vital if you don’t have the timing down on parrying. However, if you need to parry more than once in mid-air, you have to do every subsequent one;

-Whetstone: Your parry doubles as an axe attack, making it great to physically harm enemies and bosses while you’re jumping, but it’s also hard to master as you once again need to time your parries perfectly.

The art style is fantastic, but so is the music. To call back to the dominant genre of the 1930, MDHR Studios hired Kris Maddigan, a composer from Toronto. Maddigan put together a big band orchestra and created tracks reminiscent of the jazz and ragtime that were popular then. Groovy tracks, all the way through! However, Maddigan took things a step beyond, and created a whole new concept for video game tracks. He composed instrumentals that have ensemble sections, as to be expected, yet each track contains parts with solos, which have been recorded afterwards. The solos are interchangeable for a single track, and are used at random, which means that any level’s track will rarely be the exact same no matter how much you play a level. The placement of the solos will change. That's brilliant.

Not that you’ll pay much attention to the soundtrack during the harder levels, mind you – sometimes, so many things happen on the screen at once in any fight that you’ll focus all of your attention to avoiding enemy attacks.

After all, as I said… and, in fact, as everyone has said… this game is tough as balls. There’s the fact that most bosses go down after taking hundreds of hits, then there’s the environment in which you fight them that can play against you, and then there’s the unexpected. A series of attacks that, one after the other, are very difficult to escape from; a projectile you didn’t see where you were going; a move you’ve never been too good at avoiding; a little enemy you didn’t see coming towards you amidst the chaos; or, on your first playthrough, a boss phase that completely catches you off-guard.

I feel bad attacking this guy... Good thing I'm not peeling
him, or I'd be crying too!

Every main boss in this game has multiple forms and will switch to the next once enough damage has been dealt to them. Since the game mimics the animation tropes of the old days, it also goes out of its way to feature surreal transformations. Most bosses have them, and make great use of them in their fight. You WILL be surprised the first time you get to any boss – unless of course you cheat and look them up on YouTube. There’s, of course, the teams that you must defeat, such as the Root Pack (a potato, an onion and a carrot – may I add, the only time in History I will ever call an onion cute).

Even when they're dead, these guy will keep
on fighting you.

Then there’s the various bosses that summon enemies to fight you – when the enemies themselves aren’t actually mini-bosses. One example is Baroness Von Bon Bon, who summons three different candy or dessert-themed mini-bosses for you to fight before she decides she's had enough and fights you head-on. ...Literally so, she throws her head at you and then it chases you around.

Others do really unexpected things. One of the first bosses you encounter is Goopy LeGrande, a throwback to blue slimes in the Dragon Quest RPGs. He starts weak, then uses a pill to grow in size… and once you defeat his bigger form, a gravestone falls on him signaling his doom….Or does it? For, you see… The gravestone then attacks you. Didn’t see that coming, did you? That’s one of the first bosses! I said nothing about the ship that attacks once its owner has fallen, or the dragon that spontaneously grows two more heads just to spite you, that clown that transforms into a chair swing ride (yes, really!), or the frogs that turn into a slot machine (yes, really!)! And the less we say about Hilda Berg’s multiple different transformations, the better!

Look ma, I'm on the wrong side of the tracks! I am a big boy now!

And of course, at the end of the game, we battle King Dice. However, before we can fight him, he sends Cuphead and Mugman through a series of casino-themed mini-bosses, picked through a board game. At least three mini-bosses, out of 9 possible ones! Now that's a memorable battle!

Justa  reminder that bosses in this game are gigantic.
Whenever they feel like it, anyway.

The Devil has the power to grow a neck whenever he
needs to. It's more useful than youd think.

And then, we meet the Devil. He asks if Cuphead and Mugman want to join his side (which is a bad ending, but good for one achievement), and if they refuse, they fight him. At first, the Devil likes to shapeshift into forms reminiscent of famous animal-themed demons (goat, spider and snake). His last phases? Just as impressive, and it will put you to the test. The animation is even more impressive in that final phase, too. Once he is defeated, our two cup-headed heroes take all the soul contracts and burn them, freeing the inhabitants of Inkwell Isles who had fallen in the demon’s clutches. Not everyone is at the party that follows, as not every soul debtor has a reason to celebrate… but it’s still a pretty happy ending.

Of course, great emphasis is put on the game’s art style and difficulty, but you can always set a bit more challenge for yourself as the game progresses. For, you see, there’s always something else to try. The small side-quests offered by characters on the world map are usually done quickly, though two of them are major challenges.

They even bothered with animation errors - look! Cuphead's gloves
are yellow here, and nowhere else!

On Isle 3, you meet a guy who says he’s an A-rank type of guy, and he won’t accept to give anything to anyone who isn’t an A-Rank like him. What does this mean? Well, every time you complete a boss battle, you are rewarded with a rank based on your performance (taking multiple factors into consideration, like the time taken, Cuphead's remaining HP, the successful parries and the Skill level). You can get anywhere from a D to an S. On the Regular difficulty, you can get at most an A+, and that’s if you parried at every chance and didn’t lose a single HP. That character on Isle 3 will give you a reward if you get anywhere between an A- to an A+ on all 19 bosses in the game. The reward is a red-and-blue filter (known as 2-Strip Mode) that will turn the in-game coloration into that of older cartoons, when the colors were a little dimmer.

It makes some of the battles even creepier thasn before,
for some reason.

A second character met on Isle 3 is a pacifist turtle who says that it’s possible to solve conflicts without violence. Well, you can’t beat the bosses without violence, but there’s the 6 “Run’n’gun” levels in which you aren’t technically obligated to kill any enemy in the area. If you reach the end of a “run’n’gun” level without killing a single enemy, you get a P rank (for Pacifist), which is the highest rank possible for those levels. Get P ranks on all 6 levels, and the turtle will give you a new visual filter for the game, which will turn everything into black and white, now truly resembling the Cartoons of Olden Days.

Might as well get used to this. If you unlockt his mode,
you gotta try it, right?

Oh, and last but not least, for beating the Devil on Regular mode, you unlock Expert Mode, which will make every level and boss quicker, more durable (with more HP), and overall harder to beat. However, it's only on Expert Mode that you can get S Ranks for your victory against bosses. Good luck, you’re gonna need it!

Do I even need to repeat myself on why this game is awesome? The art style was always a major draw of the game, mimicking perfectly the animation of the 1930s – including animation errors! The crazy transformations, unexpected changes in design, and the sheer amount of things that can pop up on the screen at any time, this all leads to a game with a truly unique style. Every single background and sprite was painstakingly hand-drawn by the game’s two creators, Chad and Jared Moldenhauer. You can’t even begin to imagine the sheer amount of work there. I do know that it’s not the first hand-drawn video game out there; in fact, I remember reviewing one for the Wii, titled Muramasa: The Demon Blade, last year. All in all, it’s still a seldom-used style, and the Moldenhauer brothers have done a fantastic job here with the art.

The music is very good, and reminiscent of the classic jazz tracks of the time. They even delve into other genres from time to time, such as the fight against Cagney Carnation, which featured a samba. The barbershop tracks are also quite nice, whether it’s the intro or the one you get from finding a fourth barbershop quartet member for the group on Inkwell Isle 2. A song which, ironically, is about taking a break from the game.

Now, the gameplay is great. The weapons are all fairly balanced between damage, range and special effects (stronger special effects means weaker or shorter-range bullets, and vice versa). The Charms can also make the game a lot easier, or somewhat trickier based on their abilities (I personally prefer the P. Sugar, though I could see why some would prefer to use the Smoke Bomb). The controls might be a little difficult to get down at first, especially on a keyboard (I remember mapping my keys carefully, for the best playing experience), but I’ve been told it’s a little easier with a controller. I’m still not used to playing with a keyboard, but I managed to learn by the end.

There’s a decent selection of levels and bosses, although 25 might feel short for those who are really good at run’n’gun games. If that's your case, you might beat this game in four hours. It took me 20. Even if you do beat Story Mode on Regular difficulty, there’s still Expert and every little side-quest, so I personally think that there’s a decent length to this game no matter how good you are, since you can just go and collect S-Ranks and beat Expert Mode if you want to extend your playthrough.

Every boss also has multiple lines to mock you when you
die, and trust me, you'll get to read most of them.

Now, the difficulty… Some misguided journalists have called Cuphead “The Dark Souls of platformers”. Uh, no. Comparing RPGs and platformers is like comparing apples and oranges. Sure, Cuphead is a shining example of a difficult video game, however a more apt comparison would be to say it’s the Contra of the New Tens. Since Contra was also infamous for its difficulty, and was about a character running and gunning, defeating tough bosses on the way… Although, to be fair, Contra is less fair than Cuphead. Sure, you got the Konami Code that grants 30 lives, but those will go down fast, and even with a Continue, you might get a Game Over soon enough and be forced to restart the whole game. Cuphead gives you infinite lives, and you’ll need all of them, so it never punished you too badly for losing a lot of lives, and on top of that you can freely change your arsenal in a menu instead of chasing upgrades.

On the platformer side, I would compare it to the other tough-as-Hell game I’ve beaten this year, Rayman Origins, but I felt that Cuphead was harder. The big issue with Rayman Origins was that everything was made to fit a certain timing. As long as you remembered the patterns and dashed, jumped, and flew in time, you were fine. You needed memory and skills, but there was no element of unpredictable; nothing changed. Few, if any, bosses had attacks that targeted Rayman, and as a result if you knew the patterns and the required timing, you couldn’t die. In Cuphead, learning the patterns and the timing is one thing. You still have an element of unexpected, with multiple attacks that target you, or are difficult to avoid, not to mention moving platforms and, sometimes, multiple attacks coming in at once and being near-impossible to escape. Cuphead is tough, and though it will become easier with a lot of practice, it will remain somewhat tough. Thankfully, it will also remain fair. There’s a few glitches here and there, some which you can take advantage of, others that are annoying, but nothing utterly game-breaking.

In short, Molderhauer Brothers, you deserve a big...

So, what else can I say about the game? Go play it if you haven’t!