Cuphead. Most of you have probably heard of it by now; the game that is ruining peoples mental state. Me along with them. Oh, how I loathe this god-forsaken game. I like to think I have a love-hate relationship with this game, minus the love. But honestly, I do really like the game and clearly do other people as 460,030 have played the game in the last two weeks. Everything about it actually, including the ridiculous difficulty of it. I’m going to talk to you about everything I like about this game and everything I dislike about the game. So enjoy reading.
*Disclaimer: This Review contains spoilers.
Background:
So first, a little history session on the game. Cuphead, the very first game to be developed by the studio MDHR, officially started development in October of 2010. The team actually tried to develop the game back in 2000 but didn’t have the tools to make it work in the way they dreamed it too. The brothers who formed the successful game were called the Moldenhauers; Chad an Jared. They actually started the development game in their own homes! They both enjoyed watching 1930’s cartoons which is where they got the idea for the art style for the game along with the main character; cuphead who was actually from a 1936 Japanese propaganda film in which a man with a teacup for a head transforms into a tank.
Built on the Unity game engine, the game was officially announced at E3 in 2014. In July of 2014, the team said that the game was only around 40% complete. The game was originally planned to have a 2015 release date but was delayed. This is the explanation the team game for pushing it back:
“We know we said that Cuphead would be out in 2015 and now we’re saying that Cuphead will be out in 2016. We’re sorry. But this Cuphead isn’t that Cuphead. This Cuphead is so much better. With Microsoft helping us out, we are able to push the art further, refine the mechanics more, and deliver the Cuphead game we’ve always dreamed of. In development, time is our greatest asset, and pushing the release to 2016 allows us to make for the best game possible.”
The game is said to have multiple DLC packs to be released, each containing 10 to 15 bosses per expansion.
Story:
The story is not really a complicated one, but I have decided to make it even simpler by explaining it in my own words: “Cuphead and Mugman were gambling with the devil when they both lost. They both (if you are playing multiplayer) have to pay back the devil by completing the contracts he has set. Once these have been completed, Cuphead and Mugman must defeat the Devil to make sure that he does not use them again for more contracts.” That’s it. That’s the basic premise of the whole game. While it is very simple, the game still has some very good mechanics and is a very good game overall. It also has hours of gameplay due to the difficult nature of the boss fights as well as the run and guns. I feel that it would be nice to see some sort of expansion pack that has a prologue where you could play as the Elder Kettle in his younger age, as well as an epilogue expansion where you play after the devil has been defeated.
Gameplay:
Let’s talk about the gameplay a bit. It’s quite simple but still, it makes for some great game mechanics. In simple terms, Cuphead is run and gun side-scrolling game. It features multiple boss battles that are quite difficult, depending on your skill level. This is good as it will keep people playing in an addicting sort of way; the sort of way that they feel they have to beat that boss before they leave the game. If the player dies then they will not lose any sort of items apart from the coins collected on that level only. This is good as, with the game being as hard as it is, people would get very frustrated with the game very quickly if they lost their items whenever they died. Whilst all of this is happening, the player can also find levels where they will need to use a plane in order to defeat the enemies. I find this mechanic rather strange as the plane itself has nothing to do with the game whatsoever. I feel that the developers just decided that they needed something to spice up the game but couldn’t think of anything better to use in the air. What would have been really cool is if the Elder Kettle presented a flying cup to you. This would have made more sense to the game as it would have something to do with the actual theme of the game. The game does also allow for a two-player cooperative. This is good as if you would like to have a chill session of playing games with your friends, you can just relax and play some Cuphead – not that it’s actually relaxing, more stressful – you could. The fault with this is that it is only local multiplayer, meaning that you can not play from the comfort of your own house with your friend who is also at their house.
So what would I rate this game? Well if you put everything I’ve said in this review together, throw in the amazing 1930’s cartoon art and add the amazing music, it makes me rate it an 8.7 out of 10.
RoundHouseStudios 