Reflecting on the legacy of Studio MDHR’s masterpiece years later.
Today we are going to present you the review of Cuphead, the first work by the Canadian development team, Studio MDHR, initially released as a Microsoft exclusive on September 29, 2017, but now available on all platforms.
It was the year 2013 when Cuphead was announced, immediately attracting the attention of many gamers thanks to its unique style inspired by American animation from the 1920s and 1930s, applied to an old-school 2D shooter. The founders of the development studio, the Moldenhauer brothers, drew heavily from Fleischer Studios cartoons and the more famous Walt Disney, creating a colorful game world filled with extremely caricatured characters. Development proceeded slowly due to the immense amount of work required to achieve the team’s goals, but despite numerous delays, we were finally presented with a work of remarkable quality. Let’s find out why.
A look at the game world
The game takes place on Inkwell Isle, where the two protagonists, Cuphead and Mugman, live with their grandfather, Elder Kettle. One fine day, driven by their desire for exploration, they decide to venture further from home than usual, reaching the seedy parts of town and finding themselves in front of the Devil’s Casino. Curious about their recent discovery, they enter the building and are immediately targeted by King Dice, the Casino’s manager, and the Devil himself, who offers them a bet: their souls in exchange for all the treasures of the place. Cuphead, without thinking twice, accepts and rolls the (clearly rigged) dice, dooming himself and poor Mugman. Terrified by the grim fate awaiting their souls, they decide to accept the Devil’s proposal for freedom, which involves recovering the soul contracts of all his debtors.
From here, our adventure begins with a tutorial that is extremely simple and intuitive, perfect for learning the game mechanics. It all starts with Elder Kettle giving us a magical potion that enables us to shoot bullets from our fingers, which is the first weapon at our disposal. The gameplay is immediately responsive and precise, with our protagonists able to jump, get down and dash to avoid enemy shots or even repel them using the parry move, which can only be performed in mid-air (by pressing the jump button again) and exclusively against pink objects. At this point, the player is introduced to the exploration of the game world, starting with the first island, where some areas are initially locked and can only be accessed by defeating our targets.
MDHR studio has also added a small exploratory component, hiding coins around (useful for upgrades) and including various characters who, besides gifting us with these coins, reward us with helpful advice or entertaining dialogues.
Facing the bosses
The player now has the option to face the first boss or attempt the run ‘n gun level. The first battle against the Devil’s debtors involves fighting the Root Pack: a potato, an onion, and a carrot. Each vegetable corresponds to a different phase, increasing in difficulty, and allows the player to apply everything learned during the tutorial. For example, the potato is perfect for practicing jumping and parrying, both essential to counter its direct attacks. The onion immediately tests the player’s reflexes and attention, as they are forced to avoid attacks from above. The carrot makes it clear that some bosses must be hit in specific spots (in this case, the eyes) and allows practice with dashing to avoid its beams.
In Cuphead, it’s incredible how all the bosses present different patterns, each generally divided into 3 or 4 phases, without a single repeated element. The animations are stunning, the character design shows exceptional attention to detail, and certain bosses will randomly change their attack patterns each time you face them again, all accompanied by catchy music that perfectly captures the mood of the 1920s and 1930s.
The difficulty is challenging from the beginning (with a significant increase already by the second island), and if you run out of HP, you’ll have to start the fight from the beginning. Despite this, frustration rarely takes over, thanks to an extremely refined combat system and a dynamism that makes everything incredibly fun and never boring.
Time to fly
Another great highlight is the aerial combat, which adds new gameplay mechanics and allows you to face flying bosses, usually 1 or 2 per island. In this case, the gameplay changes almost entirely: jumping is replaced by parrying (which becomes immediate with the press of a button), and instead of dashing, Cuphead transforms into a mini-plane, greatly reducing his size and gaining increased movement speed at the expense of lower offensive power. The magical shot is replaced by the plane’s rapid-fire, which can be switched with an explosive shot that falls downward.
After defeating each enemy, you’ll be presented with a scorecard that summarizes the time taken, health points kept, parries executed, super meter indicators used, and skill level, which is graded from 1 to 3 stars based on the difficulty selected at the start of the boss fight. All of this is then consolidated into a final grade, which can reach a maximum of A+ (or S in expert mode). This system enhances replayability and encourages competitive and completionist players to strive for the perfect score.
But what about the Run ‘n Gun levels?
Let’s now talk about the Run ‘n Gun levels, which are not mandatory for progressing through the game but are essential for upgrading Cuphead and Mugman. Although they were not initially part of the adventure, they were later included to increase the game’s longevity and variety. They immediately prove to be fun and offer a great variety of situations.
These levels feature enemies of all kinds and sizes, each with different abilities, some capable of regenerating and others continuously respawning to give the player no respite. The platforming component is predominant, with certain sections requiring precise jumping. Just like the boss fights, there are no checkpoints in these levels, so if you die, you’ll have to start the entire level all over again. Within these levels, you can find 5 gold coins, some well-hidden, others more obvious, and still others reachable through specific actions. As previously mentioned, these coins are very useful as they allow the player to upgrade the protagonist by visiting Porkrind’s Emporium.
Upgrades and Abilities
Let’s get into the emporium (one on each island) and see what our trusted vendor has to offer: the items for sale are divided into two categories: magical shots and charms. Each shot in Cuphead is unique and recognizable by a specific color, providing the player with a great variety and a touch of strategy in finding the most suitable one based on the enemy being faced. For example, some shots are better for long distances, others for short ranges; some require less precision but deal less damage, while others are more challenging to use but inflict heavy damage. During the game, you’ll have the opportunity to equip two magical shots, which can be swapped at any time according to your preferences. Additionally, each shot has a secondary, more powerful attack that consumes a card, which is a segment of the meter filled by damaging enemies.
Charms, on the other hand, are items that can be equipped in a single slot, providing essential bonuses for progressing through the adventure. At the start, you will have two charms available for purchase: one offers an extra HP at the cost of slightly reduced damage, while the other grants invulnerability during dashing.
In addition to shots and charms, as you advance in the game, you’ll have the chance to unlock the Super, a powerful ability that can be used only after charging the meter mentioned earlier. To equip it, you must complete the Mausoleum levels, where you’ll need to defend Miss Chalice’s vase from ghosts, all while parrying.
Cooperative Mode
Cuphead doesn’t miss a beat and features a co-op mode, much delighting players wo enjoy teaming up with a friend. The second player will join the game as Mugman and will have a separate inventory from Cuphead, but with the same equipment options. The entire adventure can be tackled cooperatively, with the ability to save your partner if they run out of HP by performing a parry on their ghost before it disappears from the screen. At first glance, the difficulty might seem more accessible in this mode, but in reality, having a second character alongside you adds chaos and makes things less clear, with enemies having their health doubled.
Trophies/Achievements and Tips
Cuphead offers a high level of challenge when it comes to earning the platinum trophy. The toughest achievements require completing all bosses on Expert level, achieving a grade of A- or higher for each, finishing Run ‘n Gun levels without killing any enemies, defeating a boss using only the mini-plane’s shots, and defeating King Dice without taking any hits.
Here are some useful tips:
- Use the Heart Double Charm, which adds 2 HP at the cost of reduced damage, especially when you are still getting to know the boss and its mechanics.
- Utilize the Invisible Dash once you’ve gained some skill and experience with the specific enemy.
- Use the first Super (the energy beam) against bosses, and the second Super (invincibility) for Run ‘n Gun levels.
- Purchase all magical shots and experiment with different ones against bosses to find the most suitable ones for each enemy.
Personally, I found the default controls uncomfortable and suggest revising them. Here’s how I recommend setting them up for a more optimal gaming experience:
Final Comment and Rating
In conclusion, I can say without a doubt that Cuphead leaves an indelible mark on gamers, particularly due to its distinctive style and combat system. Every game mechanic is meticulously crafted, giving players full freedom, although they must work hard to find the ideal equipment to reach the end credits. In my humble opinion, Cuphead is certainly one of the most successful indie games ever, but it does not achieve absolute excellence due to some excessively chaotic gameplay phases and a longevity that is sufficient but not exceptional.
Cuphead
PRO
- Unique and beautiful technical and stylistic design
- Well-thought-out and precise combat system
- High difficulty but not frustrating, making victory highly satisfying
- Incredible variety in every aspect
- Perfectly fitting and catchy music throughout the adventure
- Exquisite character design, especially for the bosses
- Extremely replayable
CON
- Some moments are too chaotic, especially in co-op mode
- Not very long-lasting, unless aiming for completionism
9.5/10
