While there are unlockable weapons, charms, and super moves, every single boss can be defeated with the tools you have from the very beginning: A peashooter, jump, dash, and parry. What I truly appreciate about Cuphead‘s gameplay is how minimalistic it remains from start to finish. The gameplay is great, too, if not wholly original. If you couldn’t tell already, my love of Cuphead is intrinsically tied to its aesthetics. They wouldn’t be nearly as powerful in isolation, but together they transport you to a very specific moment of the 20th century. The sound design masterfully complements the cartoon visuals. Horns squeak, whistles pop, and strings twang. Jazzy snare drums reverberate during tense moments. All throughout, an old film reel fizzles in the background. But the sound design is equally impressive. The art direction is what made Cuphead such a hotly anticipated title when it was initially revealed in 2014. After clearing that less than a week later, you would think that my time with Cuphead had come to an end. After dealing with the Devil, I immediately went back to the beginning and started again on expert difficulty.

I finished Cuphead on launch weekend after a laborious and painstaking run-in with King Dice, who is by far the hardest boss in the game. Image used with permission by copyright holder Despite The Legend of Zelda being my favorite video game franchise for my entire gaming life, I now own more Cuphead stuff than even Hyrule memorabilia. My Cuphead love is peculiar in a sense, considering I rarely buy gaming merchandise. I have teeshirts, a hoodie, two blankets, glassware, a water bottle, a Mugman figurine, and a second Cuphead plush my daughter bought me for Christmas. Since launch day I’ve amassed a growing collection of Cuphead merch. By the end of the night, my amazing wife had created a Cuphead plush, complete with a red and white swirled straw made from pipe cleaners. We went to Walmart and bought fabric and stuffing. She loves arts and crafts and immediately offered to make one for me. While showing the game to my wife later that day, I made an offhanded remark about wanting a Cuphead plush. I started playing Cuphead on Xbox One the moment it unlocked on September 29, 2017. Cuphead is like the Saturday-morning cartoons you never wanted to end. It’s the rare game that evokes a childlike sense of wonder long after the formative period of imagination and discovery has seemingly ended.

Share Image used with permission by copyright holderĬuphead isn’t my favorite game of all time, but the love I have for it is different.

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