Cuphead Reviews
Beneath its cartoony aesthetic lies a game that is brutally difficult and incredibly rewarding
Reagan received a digital copy of Cuphead from Microsoft for review.
With an aesthetic which I hope and expect will be timeless, and a gameplay loop that's incredibly addictive and rewarding, Cuphead is justifiably the talk of the industry right now.
The art is something the videogaming landscape has never seen before and is, arguably, worth the price of admission alone. But we come for the art, and stay for the challenge. And boy, does Cuphead have challenge in spades.
Cuphead is an addictive mix of fun and frustration that will constantly keep you coming back for more. It's amazing combination of terrific gameplay, tremendous style, and an original concept immediately catapults it into every game of the year discussion.
All in all, I didn’t like Cuphead in the slightest. I fell in love with it. The charm and care they put into this game brings back a nostalgia I haven’t felt in many years. Not nostalgia for the 1930s, as I wasn’t born yet, and I’m not quite that old to have watched American Golden Age Cartoons, but nostalgia for the challenging feel-good types of games I played as a younger self. While the stark challenge might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and 1930s cartoony art styles might not appeal to today’s anime crowds, what StudioMDHR has created is nothing short of a masterpiece. If there was ever a game to take a chance on, this would be it. Leave your silverware at the door and pick up a cup, you won’t be disappointed.
In an age where punishing difficulty is finally yearned for again, Cuphead is a worthy title to the list of the best ways to test your gaming mettle.
Cuphead is a crazy ride into the minds of Studio MDHR and if you're looking for something very diverse, check this out on the Xbox One because you'll be surprised at how addictive, frustrating and entertaining this game is. It takes the classic side-scrolling shooters of yesterday and transforms it into a game of today with some beautiful art and music inspired from a simpler time.
Cuphead is a hardcore game with a beautiful art design that recalls the classic cartoons of the '30s. Based on splendid boss fights and with some "run and gun" levels, MDHR Studios' game is challenging and satisfying.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The problem lies in the gulf between a good game with unbelievable art, and a work of art. Cuphead gets so close to being more than a cool-looking game, but the gameplay and art style don't merge in any meaningful way. It's still worth playing, and it's still the best-looking exercise in humility and frustration that you can find on the market today.
Cuphead is a phenomenal game plain and simple. It keeps players on their toes with excruciating boss battles, has one of the most unique art styles in all of game history, and one of the catchiest musical scores. Sadly the game won't be for everyone, a lot of people will not take the game's difficulty too serious and it will have them swearing, throwing their controllers, or even worse – recommending to others to skip the game.
There are no moments of downtime to come down from the frustration or elation of your battles, it’s just long bouts of tension and stress that, for the most part, outweigh any joy that’s felt. It’s a shame, because at times Cuphead is an absolute pleasure, but more often than not I was left shouting vile things in anger at the screen, and I’m quite a patient person. So yeah, Cuphead is a work of art, and it will divide opinion like the best works should.
Cuphead's visuals will draw in everyone and their grandmother, but its difficulty will grind them to cup-dust.
Like a fine whiskey, Cuphead is a game best enjoyed in small shots rather than trying to neck the bottle in one. The former will simply make you jolly. The latter will probably leave you a gibbering wreck.
If you enjoy challenging games, you will love Cuphead. It has all the elements of a great shoot 'em up— fun music, great level design, nice collection of weapons, and a rewarding difficulty curve. Long loading times aside, Cuphead gets pretty much everything right.
Cuphead truly stands out as a unique video game, an audio-visual delight and as an appropriate ode to an era of cinematography long gone.
At only $20, this game is an absolute gem. We have seen some new platformers come out that attempt to capture the retro feel using 8-bit graphics, but StudioMDHR take it to a whole new level with Cuphead.
The game is a masterpiece of style, presentation, gameplay, and ultimately overall design – all of it comes together in an absolutely brilliant package that I haven't experienced often at all in my entire lifetime.
It is platforming greatness at its very best, and proves just what can be achieved when the necessary time is put into fine tuning a game before release.
With such a well-respected and well-known title such as Cuphead, there really isn't a lot that can be said for the PS4 port that hasn't already been stated since its original release in 2017. A fiendishly difficult platformer with a great soundtrack and beautiful level design and aesthetics awaits any gamer that loves a challenge, and is happy to put the hours in. Sit in a darkened room, avoid any and all of those pesky real-world interruptions, and take on a telepathic giant carrot. Ace.