Cuphead Review

Cherishing That Second Playthrough-A Cuphead Review

Following the recent update Studio MDHR gave us at The Game Awards on the new DLC for Cuphead, I decided to go back and beat the game again in preparation. I wanted to take a second look and provide a perspective of this already determined classic and better explain as to why it is so heralded. 

Levels of Unprecedented Detail

As many other reviews have remarked, Cuphead's visual style is breathtaking and has set itself apart from every other game of the past decade. It's hand drawn and meticulous animation is a reflection of a true commitment to an art style no matter how difficult; it is beyond comprehension to me how much time some of these bosses must have taken to draw. Also, the dedication to even emulating the audio and soundtrack to that era adds yet another layer to this package. 

But, moreover from their visual and auditory flare, there is much to say about the game design I view throughout Cuphead. In fact, during this second playthrough I had a wonderful time really focusing in on each of the game's little animations that broadcast incoming attacks. Take the Captain Brineybeard boss fight for example, my favorite bout in the whole game, where you are tasked with looking for elements all across the screen in the foreground and background. Continually throughout the fight, the bearded sailor will let out a whistle which keys you in to check the background for the presence of a shark fin and make sure you recognize the distinct tone of each whistle, and if you take the time to check you'll easily evade his next attack. Combine this with an ever present falling barrel from the top of the screen and the ship at the bottom corner and you have a boss where you have to balance your attention in a challenging yet completely fair way.

And what I came to notice is that these subtle little tells are present throughout every single boss in the game, and it's enough to make me question as to why many overstated the difficulty of Cuphead. Is it hard on the first go around? Sure, but if you take the time to analyze why you died and pay more attention to these bouts then the difficulty falls down drastically-also known as great game design. What Cuphead does is give you the hints to beat its challenges only if you seek them out; it won't just shove them in your face with random prompts. This is not to say the game is easy, far from it, but to say that this was one of the hardest games ever made is disingenuous.

I wanted to take time this playthrough to take a critical second look at the run and gun stages, Cuphead's take on a more traditional platformer style level. When it first released, this was what many considered the weakest part of the game-myself included. However, in looking back at them, I found a lot of cute motifs through some levels that added a little dimension of cohesion I liked. Take a look at the treetop trouble level, where you enter the stump of a tree and slowly climb through its interior until you conclude with a high flying finale at the top. While ultimately these levels don't reach the game design mastery that the bosses display, they do still tend to show that visual flare. 

While perhaps not as enjoyable as the boss fights, Cuphead's run and gun levels surprised me in their visual depth the second time around.

Verdict

Ultimately, I left Cuphead with a much higher appreciation for its sneakily little visual cues and game design, even in the areas I previously thought I didn't enjoy. In the same vein as playing a sonic game the second time around, you can really breeze through Cuphead and just remark on its excellence when you know what's coming next. I'll likely add this to my rotation of games I revisit every so often for a replaythrough every couple of months. As if it hasn't been said enough I'll say it again: Cuphead is a must play for players of all types, an absolutely incredible gem. 

And if you really need that review score anyway...

10/10-Just As Wonderful As Always