Cuphead Review
Cuphead is one of those games that makes you want to talk to people who you know will have no idea what it is or even have an interest in games to begin with. I have yet to meet anyone who has a dislike for the early 1900s cartoons appearance that Cuphead so deliberately imitates and that visual style goes a long way in making what is essentially Contra in a lower gear feel like something far more important and enjoyable. There is more to Cuphead than just its truly gorgeous visuals though, there is an extremely well produced game under it all with some of the most meticulous and layered animations you're likely to see in the next decade. The games length did leave me disappointed and I reached the point of figuring out the games tricks much sooner than I would have hoped but that only puts a minor dent in what is otherwise a thoroughly superb game.
It's really hard not to talk about the look of Cuphead so I won't even try to save that for later. This game looks absolutely stunning and I'm not just talking about the cartoon art style. There is an immense level of detail packed into every single square inch of the screen at any one time and this complements the actual gameplay very well. If you're finding yourself coming up short early on then you might simply need to pay more attention to what is happening. The game makes great use of colour and visual feedback such as anything that can be damaged will flash once you hit it or the slight twitch enemies have before they strike. The game looks so good it's one of the first times I can think of that I've recommended people to just watch it, the game has some tough spots and during these a lot of the superb detail will likely go unrecognised so it's worth just watching it play out to appreciate all the effort that went into the animation and design. The audio is just as impressive; with an awesome soundtrack filled with great tracks and satisfying yet informative sound effects that convey information to you if you're paying attention. Very few games present themselves as well as Cuphead does in this regard and the level of craftsmanship is evident no matter where you look.
Cupheads mechanics on the other hand are a bit more simplified. It plays as good as any other 2D side scrolling shooter you could think to name but the pace is definitely a little slower than something like Contra which is a comparison I don't feel is accurate. The platforming in Cuphead is less demanding than even your average 2D platformer and due to this the emphasis becomes more on your memorisation and the speed at which you can recognise attack patterns forming. There isn't any one particular aspect of Cuphead that is hard to execute, the controls are extremely responsive and you can fully customise them to suit your style so the slower pace does compliment this approach overall. I just wish the speed was a little faster.
The main focus of Cuphead are its boss fights that are spread out across three separate worlds and you can access these with some degree of freedom. Some will be locked but you can chose the order of what is available. Each boss will have several forms it takes the more damage you deal to it and each one is almost different enough for me to count it as a different boss altogether. My only real complaint regarding the mechanics are some levels replace the run and gun-platforming mix and instead put you in a plane where the scrolling is locked to a set speed. I really didn't enjoy these levels much because I feel they subtract the two best aspects of Cupheads gameplay.
You will gain multiple different weapons throughout the game along with individual abilities such as extra health, an invulnerable dash or constant buff that lets your super meter charge without the need to damage enemies and nearly all of this is taken away on the plane levels. I found these levels quite a bit easier than the standard bosses or even the run and gun levels which take the form of a more traditional 2D level and I would much rather have had regular bosses in their place. They don't feel half hearted in any way though, the level of craft has clearly been put into them I just preferred the typical boss fights much more.
I think there is a key requirement when going into Cuphead and that is the willingness to learn. Cuphead is in a minority in modern games where it doesn't hold your hand or lead you in the right direction. Learning the bosses attacks, patterns and cues is essential and you simply have to figure this out for yourself. There is great deal of variety in the weapons too, the trusty spread shot is not always going to be the best approach. Some of the abilities seem great at first but as your skill improves you realise they aren't necessary at all. This kind of design is such a rarity nowadays that I feel doing anything but building your own playstyle in Cuphead does the game a disservice. This amount of freedom is increasingly rare so I encourage anyone who is interested in checking out this game to go in blind, build your own style and the game will reward you for it.
With all that said the game does have a couple of very minor blemishes that don't present themselves right away. The most noticeable one for me was that the difficulty curve is very inconsistent. The last boss is one of the easiest in the game, even on expert mode and the final run of fights is much easier than anything that comes before it. I thought to myself was this because I had simply gotten better at the game but the more I played and going back through on expert mode this is not the case. The later bosses have fewer elements to them and thus makes them much easier to predict. Several of them are vulnerable enough in their transitions that you can set yourself up to kill the following form almost immediately. The earlier bosses have more variety to them in this regard and can't be exploited so easily. While there is definitely some degree of satisfaction that you out smarted the game it makes the fights feel shallow the more you play them.
My other complaint; which is again a minor one is in the way the game ranks you after a certain fight. For me doing things with the minimal tools and/or resources is really fun and in many ways the most challenging. Play this game without charge shot or invincible dash for example. The ranking system however is based more on you being able to complete individual tasks such as parrying a set number of times or connecting a super attack. Neither of these abilities are vital and I find the game far more enjoyable relying on movement and reaction and it just irritates me somewhat that the system is built in this way. It isn't enough to bring the game down by any means and I'll grant you it's a while before you'll probably realise the ranking system encourages you to not play in the most optimal way.
Cuphead is the kind of game we rarely get to see in this era; it has a focus of design that so few games strive for. Both artistically and mechanically it showcases off a degree of detail that is harder and harder to find. While I do have a couple of issues with the overall package and I wish so dearly that there was much more of the game to be had and I think if my only real complaint is that there just isn't enough Cuphead in Cuphead; then the developers can sit back and smile as I have very little doubt that's not what they were aiming for. Cuphead is a game that will lure you in, consume you and then leave you feeling satisfied yet sad when everything has been accomplished.
It's really hard not to talk about the look of Cuphead so I won't even try to save that for later. This game looks absolutely stunning and I'm not just talking about the cartoon art style. There is an immense level of detail packed into every single square inch of the screen at any one time and this complements the actual gameplay very well. If you're finding yourself coming up short early on then you might simply need to pay more attention to what is happening. The game makes great use of colour and visual feedback such as anything that can be damaged will flash once you hit it or the slight twitch enemies have before they strike. The game looks so good it's one of the first times I can think of that I've recommended people to just watch it, the game has some tough spots and during these a lot of the superb detail will likely go unrecognised so it's worth just watching it play out to appreciate all the effort that went into the animation and design. The audio is just as impressive; with an awesome soundtrack filled with great tracks and satisfying yet informative sound effects that convey information to you if you're paying attention. Very few games present themselves as well as Cuphead does in this regard and the level of craftsmanship is evident no matter where you look.
Cupheads mechanics on the other hand are a bit more simplified. It plays as good as any other 2D side scrolling shooter you could think to name but the pace is definitely a little slower than something like Contra which is a comparison I don't feel is accurate. The platforming in Cuphead is less demanding than even your average 2D platformer and due to this the emphasis becomes more on your memorisation and the speed at which you can recognise attack patterns forming. There isn't any one particular aspect of Cuphead that is hard to execute, the controls are extremely responsive and you can fully customise them to suit your style so the slower pace does compliment this approach overall. I just wish the speed was a little faster.
The main focus of Cuphead are its boss fights that are spread out across three separate worlds and you can access these with some degree of freedom. Some will be locked but you can chose the order of what is available. Each boss will have several forms it takes the more damage you deal to it and each one is almost different enough for me to count it as a different boss altogether. My only real complaint regarding the mechanics are some levels replace the run and gun-platforming mix and instead put you in a plane where the scrolling is locked to a set speed. I really didn't enjoy these levels much because I feel they subtract the two best aspects of Cupheads gameplay.
You will gain multiple different weapons throughout the game along with individual abilities such as extra health, an invulnerable dash or constant buff that lets your super meter charge without the need to damage enemies and nearly all of this is taken away on the plane levels. I found these levels quite a bit easier than the standard bosses or even the run and gun levels which take the form of a more traditional 2D level and I would much rather have had regular bosses in their place. They don't feel half hearted in any way though, the level of craft has clearly been put into them I just preferred the typical boss fights much more.
I think there is a key requirement when going into Cuphead and that is the willingness to learn. Cuphead is in a minority in modern games where it doesn't hold your hand or lead you in the right direction. Learning the bosses attacks, patterns and cues is essential and you simply have to figure this out for yourself. There is great deal of variety in the weapons too, the trusty spread shot is not always going to be the best approach. Some of the abilities seem great at first but as your skill improves you realise they aren't necessary at all. This kind of design is such a rarity nowadays that I feel doing anything but building your own playstyle in Cuphead does the game a disservice. This amount of freedom is increasingly rare so I encourage anyone who is interested in checking out this game to go in blind, build your own style and the game will reward you for it.
With all that said the game does have a couple of very minor blemishes that don't present themselves right away. The most noticeable one for me was that the difficulty curve is very inconsistent. The last boss is one of the easiest in the game, even on expert mode and the final run of fights is much easier than anything that comes before it. I thought to myself was this because I had simply gotten better at the game but the more I played and going back through on expert mode this is not the case. The later bosses have fewer elements to them and thus makes them much easier to predict. Several of them are vulnerable enough in their transitions that you can set yourself up to kill the following form almost immediately. The earlier bosses have more variety to them in this regard and can't be exploited so easily. While there is definitely some degree of satisfaction that you out smarted the game it makes the fights feel shallow the more you play them.
My other complaint; which is again a minor one is in the way the game ranks you after a certain fight. For me doing things with the minimal tools and/or resources is really fun and in many ways the most challenging. Play this game without charge shot or invincible dash for example. The ranking system however is based more on you being able to complete individual tasks such as parrying a set number of times or connecting a super attack. Neither of these abilities are vital and I find the game far more enjoyable relying on movement and reaction and it just irritates me somewhat that the system is built in this way. It isn't enough to bring the game down by any means and I'll grant you it's a while before you'll probably realise the ranking system encourages you to not play in the most optimal way.
Cuphead is the kind of game we rarely get to see in this era; it has a focus of design that so few games strive for. Both artistically and mechanically it showcases off a degree of detail that is harder and harder to find. While I do have a couple of issues with the overall package and I wish so dearly that there was much more of the game to be had and I think if my only real complaint is that there just isn't enough Cuphead in Cuphead; then the developers can sit back and smile as I have very little doubt that's not what they were aiming for. Cuphead is a game that will lure you in, consume you and then leave you feeling satisfied yet sad when everything has been accomplished.
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