All these years later, Cuphead remains the peak of couch multiplayer

Good day for a swell battle!

The year 2017 set a new precedent for games. It was the host of so many amazing projects, quickly becoming one of the greatest years in gaming. From “triple A” masterpieces like Breath of the Wild, to revivals in Resident Evil Biohazard, to indie darlings with Hollow Knight, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Amongst this group of leaders was a diamond in the rough: a game that would set a new standard for visual quality in the gaming sphere. It beautifully captured the essence and feel of 1930’s hand-drawn cartoons. Every frame had been genuinely hand-drawn, inked, and colored. This game’s development cycle took an entire decade, requiring the developers to refinance their house. After years of being out, the game has become a cultural phenomenon for both how difficult and visually beautiful it is. 

I am, of course, talking about Cuphead. 

Now, Cuphead reviews are a dime a dozen. But I’ll be discussing a different angle of the game, and it is how I played it. Cuphead provides a two-player couch co-op, allowing two people to play the game together, one as the titular Cuphead and the other as his friend Mugman. It is in this mode that the game truly shines and continues to transcend other games in the genre. Cuphead’s multiplayer is a brilliant success in game design through its intrigue, difficulty, and teamwork aspect. 

Here’s a Real High-Class Bout!

The first thing bound to strike any person playing Cuphead is its art style. The rubber-hose, hand-drawn 1930’s cartoons pop off the screen and never fail to impress. It is in this area that Cuphead is the best looking and most visually striking game ever made. There is nothing quite like it, and there probably never will be. The base game’s structure follows Cuphead and Mugman as they venture out to beat 19 bosses and claim their contracts to pay a debt to the Devil. Each of these 19 boss fights display exactly why Cuphead gained the popularity that it did. 

When playing this game with someone else, it is interesting to see which bosses they are drawn to first, and which ones stick in their minds. After playing Cuphead with many people, I was intrigued to notice which characters and bosses they remember the most. While common answers will involve loving Beppi the Clown and Hating Rumor Honeybottoms, there is a wide variety in which boss fights people are fond of or not. 

It’s not just the visuals that are intriguing. The music and atmosphere provide an interesting world to explore. Both also pull from the 1930’s with instrumentation and antics only seen at the time. Jazzy brass instruments and slapstick humor stick out and create a memorable experience for players. My friends and I fondly remember the daunting music of losing to Doctor Kahl’s Robot right at the end. We could never forget the cat eating Werner Werman, (a rat), just to find out that the cat was a robot being piloted by him the whole time. The anxious tune that plays in Saltbakers Bakery told us that he was someone that could not be trusted, and we were right. Discovering these pieces with a friend made the experience extremely enjoyable, as it kept pushing us to unlock new levels and defeat bosses despite the inherent difficulty, which Cuphead is also known for. 

This Match Will Get Red Hot!

Difficult games have always been commonplace, though most times they are seen as single-player endeavors. The beauty of Cuphead is that it allows the player to take a friend along for the ride. Once again, not even including the DLC, Cuphead’s worlds will take the players through 19 unique boss fights, each with their own patterns and attacks to deal with. Any given boss only lasts two to three minutes to beat, but it’s easier said than done. Most bosses will require the players to put in multiple hours of blood, sweat, and tears if they want to see the credits roll. While being a single player is still certainly fun in this scenario, having two people play at once is where Cuphead shines. 

There is something so intrinsically satisfying about working together and bashing heads against a wall to finally beat a difficult enemy. Any time that my friend and I would beat a boss after hours upon hours of attempts, it would feel like a major accomplishment. These memories stick with us, and we reminisce on them to this day. It is truly an experience unlike any other.

Cuphead excels in getting the players to strategize and look at enemies from different angles to collaborate and take them down in the most efficient way possible. We would encourage each other to keep going and point out what we noticed worked better or worse than last time. When the dog on the plane flips the screen, we decided the best way to deal with it was to tilt our heads alongside it, and this helped us to win in the end. This loop is what keeps the boss fights and gameplay of Cuphead so exciting, especially with a second player. 

Knockout!

Already an unprecedented feat in game, visual, and audio design, Cuphead stands above the rest as a game that serves to challenge the player. Not only do the bosses require a certain amount of dexterity and foresight to overcome, but they plead that the player looks at them from multiple angles. Some players may choose to fight solo, pick different weapons, or play as a newer and more powerful character. For my money, nothing can possibly beat the experience of playing Cuphead with a buddy, strategizing, synergizing, and conquering everything in our path.