cuphead is a rare game. there’s not a lot of developers with the sheer dedication to create a game like cuphead, and i fully respect them for the dedication to simply creating the art and music alone. this game could’ve been completely terrible, and i still would’ve had immense respect for MDHR, based on their work ethic and perseverance.

it helps, then, that cuphead is absolutely spectacular.

let’s start with the obvious: cuphead is gorgeous, both in its beautiful hand-drawn art and stunning orchestral soundtrack. each element of the game is so perfectly hand-crafted like nothing i’ve ever seen; the characters are expressive, the backgrounds are gorgeous, every sound effect is so perfectly well-placed. there’s really nothing like it.

the soundtrack especially is special. floral fury has these booming trumpets take the forefront, king dice has this lovely jazz standard between isles, and the devil’s fight has the perfect level of tension. i genuinely listen to some of the boss themes outside of playing the game, as they’re not only perfect background tunes, but also extremely catchy. they’re wonderful.

i do wish there were some properly animated cutscenes, though this is a small nitpick. the book-like pseudo-cutscenes look fantastic, but seeing some proper animation would’ve been really, really cool.

mechanically, cuphead is a pretty standard 2D bullet hell. there are 19 bosses, where you fight to take down one larger enemy with multiple phases, and 6 run and gun stages, where the goal is to dash through the stage without dying. both types of stages are really fun, but the bosses are the obvious standout.

in the run and gun stages, as well as being scattered around the map, there are coins that can be used to purchase new weapon types and abilities. cuphead can equip two weapons and one ability at a time, and they’re perfect for changing up the rather samey (at times) gameplay. changing weapons depending on the bosses attack pattern and strategies is really satisfying, but trying to beat a boss with no abilities or a weak weapon is rewarding in its own right.

our titular main character controls excellently, with a perfectly fleshed out kit. outside of his weapons, cuphead can jump, dash forward, or parry specific pink bullets. his abilities are excellent at rewarding a player’s quick thinking, and allow for on-the-fly corrections without being a get-out-of-jail-free card.

parrying or doing enough damage to a boss or enemies rewards cards, which can be used for EX attacks. theses EX attacks are just more powerful versions of the standard weapons; the peashooter gets a large blast, the homing attack gets a small shield, and so on. each EX attack matches well with its regular counterpart, and using EXs effectively are key in defeating bosses easily.

with 5 cards, cuphead can pop a super attack, which is an ultra-powerful ability that changes the fight significantly. you can either do a shit ton of damage in one go, become invincible, or get a ghost version of you to deal damage with you. going invincible is pretty obviously the best in a pinch, but all 3 abilities are useful in their own right. balancing using EX attacks vs. saving for a super art is another key element of every battle to keep in the back of your mind, and adds another layer of depth to the basic gameplay, which massively helps cuphead stand out.

throughout my playthrough, i used roundabout (a shot that turns around behind you after a short time) and spread (a shotgun-type weapon with short range), alongside the smoke dash (makes your dash invincible) for most of the game, but each person i’ve played co-op with preferred a slightly different setup. the weapon diversity is excellent, and no shot feels useless. abilities, though… smoke dash is a little overpowered.

the bosses, though, are the real standout. each fight is a complete journey through a devil contractor’s descent into madness, and each phase is unique in both animation and attacks. ribby and croaks go from 2 frogs into a vending machine, cala maria’s head flies on its own for its final phase, wally warbles gets thrown onto a stretcher after his kid is defeated. each fight has so much flair, and the gameplay isn’t sacrificed for the drama, not at all.

you might have some absolute banger orchestral music in the background, and the boss might be one wrong tap from an aneurysm, but they still provide a nice challenge while remaining clear and fair. each attack is obvious, yet still tricky to dodge. patterns are made clear from the start, but dodging is still a challenge in its own right. fights like grim matchstick and king dice are tough, but shouldn’t take too long if you play your cards right. each attack is well choreographed, but often quite fast. the difficulty comes in dodging, but also positioning yourself in a way to continue piling on the damage. it’s a great mix of requiring reaction time and knowledge of the boss’s patterns.

there’s also a fantastic difficulty curve to the game itself. the bosses rise in difficulty really nicely as you traverse the three inkwell isles. run and guns get harder and filled with more enemies or trickier mechanics, but they never hit the wall of feeling unfair. overwhelming, sure, but always manageable with enough effort.

some bosses are airplane fights, which change up the mechanics in a nice way. you have more mobility in flying all around the screen, but you lose your dash and bullet typing. they’re nothing crazy, but the couple of fights in the air are nice changes from the traditional platforming the game built up from the start.

the boss rush format this game goes for is a really unique choice, and pushes the best part of the game to the forefront, which i appreciate. there’s very little bullshit here: it’s straight to the point, and lets the excellent mechanics and beautiful boss fights shine as fast as possible. while the run and guns aren’t bad - on the contrary, they’re quite fun - they most definitely feel like afterthoughts of the bosses. there are far fewer of them through the game, and they’re more like vessels to expand your toolkit and test your skills, instead of purposely designed levels made to be at the forefront.

either way, cuphead’s fantastic. it’s one of those once-a-generation type games that has jumps to a new level of creativity, and boy, what a jump this was. there are some nitpicks i’ve got here and there, but this game is great through and through. not only does it have one of the freshest styles i’ve ever seen, but the gameplay is also rock-solid and an absolute blast. this is a must-play, for sure.