Cuphead
A 2D co-op shooter-platformer focused on boss battles. It is known for its unique art style, which imitates the more surreal cartoons of the 1930s.
Overview
Cuphead is a 2D co-operative shooter/platformer that consists solely of one-on-one boss fights. The game's unique visual aesthetic draws directly from classic 1920s, 1930s animations by Disney, Fleischer Studios and Ub Iwerks. Not only does the game use animation film techniques but also marries it with an anachronistic history of video games, from Street Fighter and Contra to Space Invaders. Cuphead is slated for a PC (Platform) release, with an Xbox One (Platform) version announced at E3 2014. The developers also hope to create a version for the Sega Master System (Platform) if the game is successful enough.
Story
Cuphead (Character) andMugman (Character) are twin brothers living with their caretaker Elder Kettle on Inkwell Isle. One fateful night the boys ventured into a casino, where Cuphead gambled their souls away to the Devil. The Devil, with his right-hand man King Dice (Character), agreed to spare the two by roping them into a deal wherein they collect the "soul contracts" of various debtors around Inkwell Isle.
There are a total of 17 soul contracts to be collected in the base game, spread across 3 worlds. Upon completion of Inkwell Isle 3, Inkwell Hell unlocks, which features 9 casino-themed mini-bosses leading to a fight with King Dice. Once the Dice man has been vanquished, players will finally confront the Devil.
There are two endings to the game, based on how the player responds to the Devil's request to hand over the soul contracts. Giving the Devil these contracts gives a "bad" ending where Cuphead and Mugman are corrupted into being the Devil's lackeys. In the "good" ending, the player refuses to give up the contracts, the Devil surrenders to their might, and the boys free the former debtors to live on Inkwell Isle happily ever after.
Gameplay
Cuphead is a 2D action, platformer, and shoot 'em up game with a deliberately high level of difficulty. Players can choose to play as either Cuphead or Mugman. Controls are fairly simple: players can jump, shoot, and dash. There is also a "parry" system where the player hits the jump button while already in the air to slap pink objects that help fill their special meter. Unleashing special attacks is key to downing these large foes.
Cuphead and Mugman are not very resilient, and can only take 3 hits before dying. The player can purchase upgrades such as an extra hit point (which also reduces damage dealt by player) or extended dash as well as new weapons to replace the stock "peashooter."
The player navigates around an overworld, where they are given a set of levels to clear before unlocking the next area. Its structure is reminiscent of a boss rush mode that revolves around defeating the debtors in epic, multi-stage battles. Two difficulty levels are available: On the lower difficulty, players have fewer boss phases to clear in order to win, but in order to actually get their soul and progress the game, players must complete the full encounter. Some bosses have "secret" phases that can be unlocked by performing specific tasks in the fight, such as not shooting the Root Pack as he transforms into his second phase.
Some boss fights have Cuphead and Mugman taking on skyborne enemies in airplanes. The parry slap system remains and instead of dashing players can turn their planes tiny to avoid damage.
Breaking up the series of boss battles are sidescrolling "Run N Gun" levels akin to Contra where Cuphead and Mugman can collect coins to spend on upgrades at the in-game store.
Bosses
Inkwell Isle One
| Boss Name | Stage Title | Art |
|---|---|---|
| The Root Pack | "Botanic Panic" |  <p> </p>
|
| Goopy Le Grand | "Ruse of an Ooze" | 
|
| Ribby (Character)& Croaks (Character) | "Clip Joint Calamity" | 
|
| Hilda Berg | "Threatenin' Zeppelin" | 
|
| Cagney Carnation (Character) | "Floral Fury" | 
|
Inkwell Isle Two
| Boss Name | Stage Title | Art |
|---|---|---|
| Baroness von Bon Bon | "Sugarland Shimmy" |  <p> </p>
|
| Beppi the Clown | "Carnival Kerfuffle" |  <p> </p>
|
| Djimmi the Great (Character) | "Pyramid Peril" |  <p> </p>
|
| Grim Matchstick (Character) | "Fiery Frolic" |  <p> </p>
|
| Wally Warbles | "Aviary Actions" |  <p> </p>
|
Inkwell Isle Three
| Boss Name | Stage Title | Art |
|---|---|---|
| Rumor Honeybottoms | "Honeycomb Herald" | 
|
| Captain Brineybeard (Character) | "Shootin' N Lootin" | 
|
| Sally Stageplay (Character) | "Dramatic Fanatic" | 
|
| Werner Werman | "Murine Corps" | 
|
| Dr. Kahl's Robot | "Junkyard Jive!" | 
|
| Cala Maria (Character) | "High Seas Hi-Jinx!" | 
|
| Phantom Express | "Railroad Wrath" | 
|
Inkwell Hell
| Boss Name | Stage Title | Art |
|---|---|---|
| Tipsy Troop | Mini-boss | 
|
| Chips Bettigan | Mini-boss | 
|
| Mr. Wheezy | Mini-boss | 
|
| Pip and Dot | Mini-boss | 
|
| Hocus Pocus | Mini-boss | 
|
| Phear Lap | Mini-boss | 
|
| Pirouletta | Mini-boss | 
|
| Mangosteen | Mini-boss | 
|
| Mr. Chimes | Mini-boss | 
|
| King Dice | "All Bets Are Off!" | 
|
| The Devil | "One Hell Of A Time" | 
|
Production
Cuphead had a lengthy development cycle starting with brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauser, indie game developers based in Canada. Their first attempt at a game with this concept came in 2000, but the technology available was not sufficient to execute their vision. The brothers revisited the project in 2010, based on the success of another extremely challenging downloadable title, Super Meat Boy (Game).
Chad and Jared had spent quite some time experimenting with how it would be possible to achieve the look of an animated cartoon from the 30s. Three whole months were spent just on developing the aesthetic 'old-timey' feel. For the majority of the process most of the art and animation is painstakingly done frame by frame by hand. On a regular basis the pair had to draw, ink, color and animate 200-350 frames a week, eventually hiring a small staff of nine to help.
Initially the pair had tested hand painting animation cels, which would then be scanned in and animated with the filters effects added. When they realised that with the multiple filter layers applied, they couldn't tell the difference between hand painted and digitally coloured. And due to the already lengthy production of the game they decided to go with digitally colouring them with Photoshop.
The game was announced at Microsoft's E3 press conference in 2014, though it was only an estimated 40% completed. Cuphead was eventually released for Xbox One on September 29, 2017 and has since come to other platforms.
Release and Reception
Owing to its unique style and long development cycle, Cuphead was perhaps one of the most highly anticipated games of 2017. Just two weeks after release, Cuphead had already topped 1 million sales. Within two years the game had reached 5 million units sold, and by the time it was ported to the PS4 in 2020 it had sold 6 million units. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and the Xbox One version of the game currently holds a 92 on MetaCritic. Giant Bomb's Ben Pack gave the game five stars. Cuphead placed fifth on the site's end of year top ten list, won the prestigious "Best Styyyyyyyyyyle" award, as well as one for "Best Looking Game," and was a runner-up in categories for "Best Debut" and "Best Music." Praise was heaped on the game for its visual style, soundtrack, and tight controls, while reviewers mostly felt the high level of difficulty was both fair and rewarding. Some wondered if the challenge would turn off gamers otherwise intrigued by the remarkable animation and artwork, and several reviewers cited the final boss fight as simply too punishing.
DLC: The Delicious Last Course
Downloadable content featuring a new island, boss fights, and playable character in Ms. Chalicewas announced at E3 2018 (Concept), due for release the following year. It was then pushed back to 2020 in order to avoid developer crunch, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused it to be delayed another two years. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course was eventually released on June 30, 2022 for $7.99. Within two weeks of release, the add-on had notched 1 million sales. It won "Best Expansion Game" at the 2022 Golden Joystick Awards and "Best Character Animation - Video Game" at the 2023 Annie Awards.
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- Name
- Cuphead
- Release Date
- September 29, 2017
- Platform
- PC (Platform)
Mac (Platform)
Nintendo Switch (Platform)
Xbox One (Platform)
PlayStation 4 (Platform) - Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Action (Genre)
Shoot 'Em Up (Genre)
Platformer (Genre) - Theme
- Comedy (Theme)
Fantasy (Theme) - Franchise
- Cuphead (Franchise)