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Cuphead is a run and gun indie video game developed and published by StudioMDHR. It will be released for the Nintendo Switch on April 18, 2019. The game was inspired by the rubber hose style of animation used in cartoons of the 1930s, such as the work of Fleischer Studios and Walt Disney Animation, seeking to emulate their subversive and surrealist qualities.
Cuphead features one or two players taking control of animated characters Cuphead and his brother Mugman to fight through several levels that culminate in boss fights as to repay their debt to the devil. The game has some Xbox Live features built in like achievements and cloud saves.
Gameplay[]
Cuphead's gameplay is centred around continual boss fights, with interspersed run and gun levels. The game also includes role-playing elements, and a branching level sequence. Cuphead has infinite lives, maintaining all equipment between deaths. The player can purchase weapons and "Charms" (special abilities) from the shop using coins collected from the run-and-gun levels. Player characters feature a parry attack that can be used on certain objects marked in pink, to various effects; the most important of them being increasing a "super meter" that enables more powerful attacks.
After completing a level, the player will be ranked with a grade based on their performance, through factors such as the time taken to defeat a boss, damage taken/avoided, and number of parried attacks. The levels are accessible through a top-down perspective overworld with its own secret areas. The game also has a two-player local cooperative mode that allows another player to play as Mugman.
Plot[]
On the fictional Inkwell Isles, Cuphead and his brother Mugman are two fun-loving kids who live under the watchful eye of Elder Kettle. Against the elder's warnings, the brothers enter the Devil's Casino and begin playing craps. When they go on a winning streak, the Devil himself offers to raise the stakes. If Cuphead and Mugman can win one more roll, they will receive all the money in the casino; if not, the Devil will take their souls. Cuphead loses by rolling snake eyes, and he and Mugman beg for mercy. The Devil makes a deal with them: collect the "soul contracts" that signify his ownership of the souls of his runaway debtors by midnight the next day, and he might let them keep theirs. They visit Elder Kettle, who gives them a potion that allows them to fire blasts from their fingers to aid in their quest, but also warns them the debtors may change themselves to different things in attempt to stop them.
The brothers travel around the Inkwell Isles, fighting the residents who have lost their souls to the Devil in order to obtain their contracts. On entering the second island, the Elder Kettle informs them about "doing the right thing" when they come up against the Devil again. Once they have the contracts, they return to the Devil's Casino, but its manager King Dice blocks their way. He has lost a bet with the Devil, presumably over whether Cuphead and Mugman would be able to complete their task, and forces them to fight his own henchmen before confronting them directly. After the brothers defeat King Dice, the Devil demands that they hand over the contracts in exchange for "joining his team". What happens next depends on the choice of the player. If the player decides to do so, the Devil turns Cuphead and Mugman into his demonic lackeys and the game ends. If the player declines, the Devil becomes furious at the brothers' refusal to honor their deal and fights them himself. Cuphead and Mugman triumph over him, burn the contracts, and race home. Learning that they no longer have anything to fear from the Devil, the former debtors honor the brothers for their heroic actions.
Bosses[]
Inkwell Isle One[]
- The Root Pack
- Goopy Le Grande
- Hilda Berg
- Ribby And Croaks
- Cagney Carnation
Inkwell Isle Two[]
- Baroness Von Bon Bon
- Beppi The Clown
- Djimmi The Great
- Grim Matchstick
- Wally Warbles
Inkwell Isle Three[]
- Rumor Honeybottoms
- Captain Brineybeard
- Sally Stageplay
- Werner Werman
- Dr. Kahl's Robot
- Cala Maria
- Phantom Express
Inkwell Hell[]
- King Dice
- Tipsy Troop
- Chips Bettigan
- Mr. Wheezy
- Pip And Dot
- Hopus Focus
- Phear Lap
- Pirouletta
- Mangosteen
- Mr. Chimes
- The Devil
Reception[]
Cuphead received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Its difficulty was noted by several media outlets. Destructoid's Brett Makedonski welcomed the high difficulty, which he noted as "tough but fair". Based on "exhaustive" pattern recognition, he said it ultimately relied on muscle memory, rather than reaction. He thought structuring the game around boss battles was well executed, and that each boss encounter held "different and special and memorable" traits. Praising the 1930s aesthetics as cohesive, he found the jazz-based soundtrack to be "similarly fabulous". He said the "eight-direction firing radius" was "clunky and awkward". Though dying 188 times in his playthrough, Ray Carsillo at EGMNow was not frustrated by the difficulty, but rather was motivated to "dig my heels in deeper". He lauded the "gorgeous" hand-drawn visuals, surpassed only by the gameplay which goes "beyond pattern recognition". Peter Brown of GameSpot opined that combatting enemies provided a considerably rewarding experience. He described the cartoon aesthetic as charming, infusing "color and expression", and a "true recreation" of hand-drawn cel animation. He relished the quick loading times which serve trial and error tactics. Though he saw "the fear of the unexpected" as part of Cuphead's thrill, he disparaged its failure to identify progress and capability.
In other media[]
A Cuphead Mii costume was added to the 2018 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate via downloadable content in January 2020. It also came bundled with one of the game's boss level themes, "Floral Fury". Four Cuphead-themed Spirits were added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in February 2020.
Animated series[]
In July 2019, Netflix announced The Cuphead Show!, an animated series based on the game with adventures of Cuphead and Mugman across Inkwell Isle, exploring areas and characters beyond those in the video game. The series is mainly targeted towards children with minor focus placed on appealing to adult audiences. The show no longer utilizes pen-and-paper animation methods as seen in the video game, relegating them to background art, opting instead on digital animation. Chad and Jared Moldenhauer from Studio MDHR will be executive producers along with CJ Kettler from King Features Syndicate. Dave Wasson and Cosmo Segurson are co-executive producers, while Clayton Morrow and Adam Paloian are supervising directors.
In June 2020, it was revealed that Tru Valentino will voice Cuphead and Frank Todaro voice Mugman. The first teaser was released on June 11, 2021, revealing that Wayne Brady will voice King Dice. In late November 2021, the series release was announced for 2022. On January 18, 2022, an official trailer was released, announcing launch on February 18.