LogFAQs > #932377120

<b>#11: Cuphead
Released on 9/29/2017
Steam</b>
(written in 2019)

As previously mentioned, these top three are basically a tie. Here is what survived over a year of personal deliberations.

I wrote this game off for awhile as a concept-piece just focusing on great 1950s-style animation...turns out, they focused on FANTASTIC animation as well as so much more.

Cuphead is an action platformer with a focus on transforming boss-fights. A few of these fights are shmup-based in the air and are fine while a few levels are side-scrollers without bosses and are only okay...but really, most of the game is just a collection of great ground-based boss-fights (think Shadow of the Colossus) and you can do this single-player or with a friend.

This game is beaming with a combination of creativity and throwbacks. Cuphead reminds me of Mickey Mouse, the mermaid Cala Maria is basically a mean Betty Boop, the frogs Ribby and Croak have Street Fighter references all over them, Mega Man gets cred with both the green dragon Grim Matchstick and the mad scientist Dr. Kahl...the list goes on. Your mechanics are familiar too -- you move and attack like you're basically in a Contra game, with the additions of parries and air-dashes. Meanwhile, this game proves old can be new again and throws you zany additions to these comfortable concepts. It's like how Rolling Stone once described Kanye West: respect the old school and change the game.

Best boss is the rat-machine Werner Werman, by the way. Worst boss is probably the queen bee in the hive, Rumor Honeybottoms. I've beaten them all on Expert, and outside of the cupcake boss Baroness Von Bon Bon and the run-and-gun level Funfair Fever, I've got A-ranks and S-ranks on the rest.

The music is such a classic throwback too. These big brass band-songs blare while you take on these bosses, and they'll mix up the order of their song sections sometimes so it doesn't get too repetitive in levels where you die a lot. It's often hectic and insane-sounding in the moment, with three smooth distinct exceptions: the a Capella stylings of the opening menu song, the cartoonier-than-most songs in the overworld, and of course IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'M MISTER KING DICE. They did a great job here.

Okay so all of this is great, but let me pick at the game a minute now. The game was glitchy for while after it came out -- there was an attack from the Devil's minions on the side of the screen that would hit you when it shouldn't, and it wasn't until recently that they fixed one of the run-and-gun stages where you could actually get the S-rank in it. Also, while I like their ranking system and I like how the bosses have some variation and randomization each fight, combining this system and randomization's a total pain in the S-rank scene. This could be improved by allowing more opportunities to parry -- that was usually my #2 reason to restart (#1 being hit) since part of your ranking would require three parries before you beat it and you won't always get three opportunities to parry if you're going as fast as you can.

I hear Cuphead has new DLC coming later this year, and I'll be on that. It's a super example of what games can be, and one of the studio interviews said they'd emphasize this kind of hand-drawn art style in future games too so this contribution to gaming isn't going anywhere either. Good job everybody.

Cuphead: I had more fun here than any other game in the past two years.

NOW IN 2020: more games should focus on being a fine collection of boss fights like this and SotC. Imagine a LoZ-take on this concept, for example. I can't wait to see what the Cuphead team does next.

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O P E R A T I O N O U S T : Nominate SHEIK!
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