The game cribs gloriously from Fleischer Studios, the studio behind Popeye, Betty Boop, and Koko the Clown even the setting, Inkwell Isle, is a riff. That would be the gorgeous art style, a dynamic and loving tribute to American animation of the 1930’s that caught players’ and critics’ attention long before the Cuphead ever came out. Especially since there were many people who came to Cuphead for reasons other than its gameplay.Īfter all, that’s not the part people notice first. But I also think the game could have provided options for less skilled players, especially given that its Easy Mode, which doesn’t let you progress and hides whole phases of each fight, is patronizing to anyone who needs it. I enjoyed the challenge, as every fight – the stupidly onerous brawl against Dr. The fights are the best part of the gameplay, so having them be more challenging makes overcoming them all the more empowering. It’s a direct homage to run ‘n’ guns from the Nineties, games like Gunstar Heroes and Metal Slug that were not exactly “forgiving” to players.

What matters are the huge encounters, where Cuphead – and Mugman, for any players daring enough to try the game’s painful two-player option – tackles a giant threat. It does have non-boss levels in the form of (less interesting) platforming sections, but they’re the exception. The 2017 run ‘n’ gunner inverts this by making boss fights the majority of its content. Typically, big, climactic foes are more supplementary to the action process they cap off dungeons or increase an already existing challenge.

But all are worthy of discussion.Ĭuphead is that rare kind of video game that puts its bosses down as the star attraction. Several show technical polish, while others tell stories through their fights. Many of these are brilliant, some of them poor. In Big Baddies Breakdown, Wolfman Jew analyzes all sorts of boss fights across the games industry.

Big Baddies Breakdown: King Dice (Cuphead)

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