Cuphead

It's been said over and over but I will say it again, the graphics and music in this game are a work of art. Fortunately, gameplay is great too. There's no filler, only a few short platformer levels and a whole bunch of boss fights that play like something out of Metal Slug. There are a few shmup stages and these are very well done too. The controls are responsive and feel just right (I've played the entire game with a keyboard), there's some customization with weapons and charms but without bogging the game down with stats, level ups or some other nonsense. The game is hard but it doesn't feel cheap, when you die it's almost always because you were too slow or screwed up in another way. If there's one thing that I can complain about it's that because boss patterns are randomized to a degree (which in itself is a very good thing) sometimes you run into a situation where it's basically impossible to avoid taking damage. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's a rare moment when the game feels unfair instead of challenging.

Pros: -It's a 90s game with a 30s aesthetic in 2017 -Feels like something I could have played in the 90s, calling to mind Mega Man, Mario, Contra, and many other inspirations that I noticed as I progressed -Worth buying for the art and music alone -Good challenge despite being short. My playtime was 7 hours on Regular (normal), however Expert (hard) difficulty unlocks after beating the game for people who need more -Has 2player co-op (though I haven't tried it) -There are only five different guns and four different accessories ("charms") to collect, however they provide a satisfying amount of depth and customization since they are all useful and distinct Cons: -The NPCs only have one dialogue and do not move or develop at all -Likewise, no interesting secrets to discover in the overworld (that I've found) -Might feel too difficult and frustrating for casuals -Might feel too short and easy for hardcores

Cuphead is a boss oriented game(19 bosses) with 6 I believe short side scrolling platforming levels. I won't go deep into the game's looks and from where it's inspired. You can look at it. It looks fantastic. The game's aesthetics are 5/5. The rest is 0/5. By the time I write this, I have beaten 4 bosses in island 3 + run and guns which took me approximately 6 hours overall so it's fair to say I've given the game enough time to grow in me. Unfortunatelly for me and the 20 euros I've paid it didn't. Let me be frank, it's not about the difficulty. Given 1-2 hours extra I would probably beat it. My main problem is the design and the gameplay. Doing boss after boss with the same powerups following the same strategies feels dull. Yes you can have different types of firing and charm to have some short of variety in your game but it still feels the same. After island 1 you can be sure whether you like the game or not. The usual feeling of achievent when you overcome a challenge just wasn't there. Again, in this game there is no journey, no world to explore etc etc and the boss fights is basically all that is offered to you. If you are not into that kind of thing then you will be just like me. You will feels amazed by the animation in the first few minutes but you won't enjoy a single minute playing the game. So my suggestion is, take a copy from a friend or do something and put a couple of hours first in the game. If you still like then go buy it. You will enjoy the rest of it most likely. If not then you will save yourself 20 euros.

I have noticed this for a long time, and I just bought it just the day it was released. Maybe I didn't play many 2D shooting games like this, but it does remind me of the old-Disney-style like the Mickey and Donald, which is really sweet and nice. As for the difficulty, I really think it's fine. (Perhaps I haven't reached the hardest level) After several deathes player will actually find the proper way to avoid all the attack and survive...... The operation is fine, I thought I was playing it in 60FPS so I think all the movements are fine and you can see it clearly and fluently. The music is briliiant and the sound when you are entering the game or it's loading is judt like the mild noise in old TV or movie. Classic ! So I thnik you shall all enjoy the game and have a relaxing (surely really hard) time!

I just finished the main campaign in what amounts to one sitting. If nothing else the challenge of the game keeps me wanting to keep trying just one more time, which is something I don't have too often with run and gun type games. The biggest draw of Cup Head is by far its aesthetics, and from what I've been told they are all hand drawn and that is impressive enough. The animations of all the bosses are so fluid and impressive, and they are all quite imaginative as well. The gameplay is no slouch either because at heart it's a run and gun stripped down to the boss fights. The controls were all very responsive making it feel like most of my deaths were my own fault. This is certainly not a game to pass up if you're on the fence about it.