Cuphead Reviews
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.
Microsoft's true standout exclusive for 2017
Cuphead combines challenging and unforgiving gameplay with the over the top animations of the 1930's in this fun adventure. While difficult at times, the sense of reward that you'll get after each fight will have you continually coming back for more.
I certainly don't regret my time spent with Cuphead, but also I don't know when I'll pick up the game again. There's too much rinse and repeat and rote memorization of bosses to be fun for me after a while. That being said, if you're looking for a steep challenge, Cuphead will certainly satisfy. The game is definitely a huge accomplishment–I just wish it was more universally accessible and fun for everyone.
Ultimately the game provides too much nostalgic satisfaction for me to be upset by its conventions, no matter how punishing or familiar they may be. Style may not always offer substance, but in the case of Cuphead, I'm satisfied.
In the end, Cuphead proves to be everything I wanted it to be — challenging, stylised and fun. It's a tough, tough game — but unlike Dark Souls, my failures in Cuphead made me want to keep playing. Bring it on.
Cuphead pays homage to old school animation, as well as side-scrolling video game shooters of old. While it lacks the stage-heavy mayhem of other games in the genre, Cuphead more than makes up for it with its vicious boss battles.
Cuphead is that rare new game that introduces a whole new IP that boasts not just excellent mechanics but also a gorgeous art style that's taken straight out of the early Golden Age of cartoons. Unfortunately, its main antagonist is not the in-game devil but a horrible bug that literally wiped out hours upon hours of my hard-earned progress. I still love the game despite that. But not as unconditionally as I used to.
Cuphead will be too tough for some players, and you'd have to look to the likes of Nioh or Dark Souls to find something as brutal and unforgiving. It's going to take some serious skill and experience to beat those bosses, but Cuphead keeps on bringing you back for more until you do.
Some of the mechanics and gameplay tropes will be familiar to anyone who has played modern indie platformers, but the unique quirks presented here are among the best in recent memory.
For those that go into it with a co-op partner and with the knowledge that its design is as unforgiving as it is beautiful, it will be a unique and rewarding game. Always unabating but never unfair, Cuphead is tough to overcome but even tougher to put down.
This meticulously crafted title is more than just an ode to the golden age of animation – it's a punishing yet moreish game that's not for the faint-hearted
There's definitely a point where it all becomes a bit too much, but Cuphead will best most games in how it looks and sounds, and defeating that boss that you once deemed unbeatable is glorious.
A stunning visual feast that belies an intense level of difficulty. Cuphead won't be for everyone, but it's still a very good game.
A beautiful and cruel shooter, intelligent but all too challenging. Unforgettable for some, ignorable for others.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Cuphead is a stunning game. And a cruel one. You have to find out if it's more entertaining or frustrating, and that's not an easy task.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Cuphead is a joyful flashback to a bygone era, both in terms of animation and in terms of crushing video game difficulty. It's easy to get lost in this gorgeous cartoon world and get overtaken by the sheer beauty and whimsy of the game's characters. Then the intensity picks up and it becomes one of the most challenging video game experiences of the year.
Cuphead was well worth waiting for. It provided exactly what Studio MDHR said it would be – a boss rush with plenty of well-designed bosses and gorgeous presentation that mimics the Fleisher brothers' art style. Depending on how used to 2D platformers with difficult bosses you are, there's a decent amount on offer, though with limited side attractions beyond the bosses, it could all be done before you know it. It's a swell ol' time though.
Cuphead has been a longtime coming, and it's great to see that it lives up to its initial promises.
Cuphead is a singular experience. Studio MDHR knew what it wanted to make, then went ahead and made it. A tough boss-rush game based on classic animation archetypes? It shouldn’t work, but here we are. It’s fun to play, and possibly even as satisfying to watch, since you can fully absorb what’s going on screen. It would have been easy to dial down the overall difficulty (and I wouldn’t have complained), but that wouldn’t have been Cuphead, either. Stick with it, is all I can say. We don't often get something that will make you laugh and grind your teeth in such close proximity.