Written by Alicia
Cuphead, a 2D horizontal adventure and shooting game independently developed by Studio MDHR in 2017, became the IGN Game of the Year. Even today, six years after the game’s initial release, many people still have a fresh memory of the red and blue Cuphead image in the game. Cuphead is one of my favourite games, and I would like to talk to you guys about why I love this game so much.
Hard but Addictive
If you look through the players’ reviews of Cuphead, you’ll find that many people may feel like this game could be more straightforward! Maintaining a high concentration level after starting a new game becomes a must! Still, players will lose all their lives at once due to a tiny misstep, forcing them to restart the level and retake the challenge from the beginning. However, that’s also why Cuphead is so appealing! The constant high difficulty offers players a strong sense of enthusiasm and excitement. Players must practice their skills and understand the logic of attacks to overcome the obstacles, defeat the bosses and pass the levels. Players like me can get an indescribably strong sense of accomplishment from such a process!
Level Design Strategy
There are three different types of levels in this game: horizontal scrolling levels, tomb challenges and boss battles. The production team tries to restrict players’ mobility in game design, minimizing and fragmenting safe standing areas in levels. Also, many small enemies designed to distract players’ attention cannot be easily detected. During boss fights, players must frequently switch their game rhythm of offence and defence to deal with the fast-paced and changeable boss attack modes. That can be tests of players’ reaction speed, proficiency in game controlling and anticipatory skills.
Stylized Art
Another fantastic feature of the game is its unique art style. It is animated frame-by-frame with bright colours and exaggerated visual representations to create a solid visual impact like what the old 1930s Disney cartoons did. At the same time, every single level maintains a similar art style with fixed and low saturation background scenes and bosses following the same theme and colour scheme. For example, there is a level named Carnival Kerfuffle: Beppi the Clown uses common elements of the amusement park, such as bumper cars, clowns and roller coasters.
Cuphead also has a two-player mode, so players can invite their family and friends to enjoy the adventure journey together. If you are a fan of horizontal shooting games, then you must not miss out on Cuphead!