Cuphead

This game is awesome, the playstyle, its art style, all of this make a wonderful experience. I would like to comment that there is an issue with controller vibration getting stuck, it would be nice if devs could solve it, becuase it is kind of annoying, without totally ruining the experience. Also it eats your batteries if you are using wirelles joysticks (which is my case) That is the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of five. PD: Also, it would be nice to make the noise filter an option in game, but I think it is part of the visual style the devs look for. And making the minimum value for chromatic aberration 0.0 instead of 0.5. Please don't be rude or take this additional comment as a critic. It is just an opinion.

Cuphead's usage of the art style is unusual for a video game, and in a good way. You can appreciate the level of detail that went into making the game really feel like a classic cartoon, from trippy encounters to the occasional creepy imagery cartoons were known for. But the game doesn't hold back any punches. It is not impossibly hard, however it is definitely harder than your usual platformer. Taking the time to analyze boss patterns and react to them appropriately is key to proceeding in the game. That is in addition to fast movements in certain boss fights. The music and the audio in general also gets extra scores for fitting the old-timey feel of the game, that in addition to the fact they're catchy and lighthearted. The controls are tight, even on a keyboard (but you may need to remap some of the buttons for easier reach). That said, the game isn't without its issues. For one, you can't play as Mugman unless you mod the game or go co-op, despite both Cuphead and Mugman driving the story together. In addition, some bosses are unfairly difficult. The penultimate encounter comes to mind, or the encounter with Grim Matchstick. Finally, the platforming levels aren't as fun as the boss fights. In closing, the game takes up 11GBs once installed. On Windows, if you access the game's folders properties, click Advanced in the General tab and check "Compress contents to save disk space" and hit OK, the game then only takes up 4GBs of space. Just thought I'd mention this.

Yes the artstyle, well besides the artstyle which is of course unique and thus can't fail. But the dificulty is brutal. I am sorry I have a life, I just wanna finish a game sometimes. Yes I like a good chalange, and I would totally go back and beat this game on brutal dificulty but I wanan get trough it at least once. Also it is unfair, two things sometimes the attacks are horribly telegraphed, meaning you don't know when someone hits you, or it tells you but you can't pin pount down the timing. Sometimes things than can hit you go ofscreen even trough that rarely happened. But always there are no fully defined pattern. I am sorry but if clouds span randomly or an attak seems to come randomly that is just a nogo. But the worst flaw is that having a second player actually can make the game harder, and playing in coop should always be easier just for the sake of reinforcing you to play with other people. If you compare that game with contra or metal slug, you will notice one thing! Metal slug has unlimited lives those days and even contra had the Konami code to give you 30 lifes!. You where able to cheat if you are not as good in a game. Also back than beating a game meant something because you couldn't just watch let's player or read a walktrough to get trough the game but today it is just frustrating. Well that is all in my opinion of course.

Cuphead is as on point from a visual and audio perspective as any game I've played. It also features great boss-centric gameplaly. The vast majority of gameplay features one screen boss encounters with multiple phases and they are excellent across the board. There are some run and gun platforming sections strewed in as well, but they by far the worst aspect of the game and the devs at least seemed cognizant of this, as they are all optional. Pacing is great as there is no fat or padding outside the optional run and gun sections. Difficulty curve is well-done, as the first few bosses show you the ropes before gradually ramping up. The game features a ranking system that grades your fights which encourages repeated engagements and is fun for people that are interested in high-score type gameplay. There is also an extra difficulty mode unlocked after beating the game that slightly remixes all the boss fights. I can't get over how good this game looks in motion. I've been playing games for a long time and this is without a doubt of the best-looking ones I've ever seen. If you have even the slightest appreciation for classic cartoon artstyle, you're in for a treat. Cuphead is an outstanding game for anyone that enjoys challenging 2d action games and a visual feast to boot.

My kids (seven and nine year old boys) are pushing for a five star review, and while the art takes me back to the cartoons of my youth (Popeye, Looney Tunes), the difficulty makes it hard for me to give the full five. If there were a way to give another half star, I would - for it is what it purports to be, the music is great, the story is novel, the action is unique, the bosses are insidious bastards.