Cuphead is a run-and-gun action game built around boss battles, and its 1930s cartoon disguise is the point. Studio MDHR developed and published it independently, announcing the project in 2013 and previewing it at E3 2014. It arrived in 2017 as a timed exclusive for PC (Windows) and Xbox One, with ports later reaching PlayStation 4, Mac and Nintendo Switch.
Trailer, via XBOX.
A Losing Roll at the Devil’s Casino
The plot follows Cuphead and his brother Mugman, who strike a deal with the Devil to cover casino losses by repossessing the souls of runaway debtors. On Inkwell Isle, they wander into the Devil’s Casino against Elder Kettle’s warning and start playing craps. Cuphead loses on snake eyes and takes a second deal: collect the soul contracts by midnight, and the Devil might spare them.
The source files the storyline as “Not applicable (minimal narrative, boss-rush focused).”
the game does not have a rigid narrative structure
That line, from the source, is the honest one. The casino framing is mostly an excuse to line up fights.
Parries, Charms and Porkrind’s Emporium
Gameplay centres on continual boss fights, interspersed with run and gun levels and side-scrolling platforming stages. Each is housed in one of four worlds, with the final fight against the Devil, which has three phases. Boss fights offer simple, regular and expert modes, though the final two drop the simple option. Beating a boss on regular mode is required to progress and unlocks expert mode for that level. The game includes role-playing elements and a branching level sequence, and players can only equip a limited number of abilities at a time.
A pink-marked parry attack charges a super meter shown as five playing cards. Three Super Arts exist, one in each of the first three worlds; each is earned by entering a mausoleum and parrying a horde of ghosts before they reach an urn. Weapons and Charms come from Porkrind’s Emporium.
| Element | How it works |
|---|---|
| Boss fights | Simple, regular, expert modes; regular required to progress |
| Super meter | Five cards, charged by attacking, parrying or Charms |
| Super Arts | Three total, one per world, earned by parrying ghosts |
| Modes | Single player, multiplayer, local co-operative |
Why the Hand-Drawn Frames Matter
Brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer drew on the rubber hose animation style of the golden age of American animation and the surrealist qualities of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Fleischer Studios, Warner Bros. Cartoons, MGM Cartoon Studio and Walter Lantz Productions. The visual style is modeled after 1930s cartoons, using traditional hand-drawn cel animation, watercolor backgrounds and original jazz recordings. The soundtrack was written for and recorded with a full big band, and the game is noted for its animation and soundtrack.
The source reports Cuphead sold 2 million copies within two weeks of release and 6 million in two years.
What Cuphead Gets Right and Wrong
Cuphead is a hard, fair, beautifully made game. Its difficulty is the product, not a flaw. Infinite lives and retained equipment keep the boss rush from turning cruel.
Its weakest part is the narrative, which the game itself admits is loose. King Dice, the Devil’s right-hand man, sets up a casino-style battle for revenge, and it is a fine fight wrapped in thin motive. That is a small complaint against a game this confident.
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