Cuphead – So much more than we imagined

For three straight E3 Expos the gaming world has been tempted by Cuphead, the run-and-gun indie platformer ripped straight out of the 1930s. The whimsical boss battles and incredible animation left many mouths agape, but the only known gameplay was a series of boss battles. Developer Studio MDHR expanded on its debut project even more recently, revealing retro-style platforming stages in between those big baddie battles.

The demo level, called “Woodland Walk,” brought the titular hero Cuphead and his friend Mugman to a dense wooded area patrolled by sinister flowers shooting projectiles and running toward the duo at full speed. The stage starts out slowly with one or two enemies to deflect but soon the screen fills with hostile flora, each hit taking one hit points away from the two cupheads. Both Cuphead and Mugman have three hit points a piece, but when one of the two dies the other can steal a hit point and come back into the fray. This obviously puts the other player at a disadvantage, as it could lead to an early Game Over screen if that player doesn’t realise a hit point has been stolen.

The retro influences fuelling Cuphead ooze out of every moment, with most of the run-and-gun action and gigantic boss battles resembling Contra games of old while the platforming style mimics that of Mega Man.

Those classic influences also bring along their difficulty levels, as the more a stage fills with enemies the harder it becomes. There are moments when the speedy sunflowers are closing in on the heroic duo that memories of Castlevania surface, complete with the raised blood pressure and desire to throw the controller.

The most striking thing about the game is clearly its graphical aesthetic, which shines even more brightly now that the game is nearing completion. The feeling of picking up and playing a classic cartoon straight out of the pre-World War II era is just as impressive as in demos past. The sound design also takes a old-timey approach, as the sound effect of Cuphead and Mugman shooting their guns appears to be done by voice performance rather than any mechanical method.

Every element of Cuphead from gameplay to graphics is clearly rooted in nostalgia, wanting to bring the best of what made games great in years past back to the forefront. Classic platforming is mixed with running and gunning, all coated in a beautiful cartoonish paint. The world has waited long enough to get its hands on this indie darling, and with a release slated for sometime this year that anticipation should be coming to an end very soon.

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