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Cuphead


DisturbedSwan
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My stream from earlier:

 

 

Started this earlier, put in 2.5ish hours or so and reached World 2.

 

Wow. This has really surprised me, I mean I expected it to be good don't get wrong but it genuinely fucking brilliant. The 30s animation and the music are just absolutely spectacular, this'll sound like a cliche but it really is a feast for the eyes and ears. It feels like you're playing through a slightly more sinister Tom and Jerry cartoon or something, nothing feels out of place at all and everything fits with the animation and music. The way the enemies move and the boss fights flow in time with the music, every boss fight almost feels like a story really that you gradually get further and further into before reaching the end.

 

The run-n-gun levels feel surprisingly good too, seeing them before launch I thought they looked a bit simplistic and thrown in there just to pad out the length of the game and give players a break from all the bosses. The latter is true but they feel so different to the boss fights and provide just as much fun and attention to detail, they're a little easier and a little more fun and relaxing but still provide a decent challenge I'd say and give a welcome break to the more intense boss fights. 

 

I guess it plays quite similarly to a lot of run-n-gun side-scrollers really. There's no double jump but a dash, you can fire a variety of projectiles (providing you purchase them at the shop) in 8 different directions at all times using either the left or right analog stick whilst pressing X, you can parry pink enemies/enemy projectiles by tapping the jump button (A) again whilst in the air, there's also a crouched shot to avoid enemy/boss punches too, you put all these together to defeat bosses. Some require more dashing (blue blob for example) whereas others require more precise jumping and crouching to defeat. 

 

The boss fights are the star of the show though really, they're just absolutely spectacular. Each one is pretty challenging in their own right with a variety of different phases to learn if you want to defeat it, the way the phases play out feels so organic as well, as mentioned previously it almost feels like a story at times. You fight a blue blob and it'll start out as this relatively innocent annoying-but-not-threatening cheerful creature and then morph into this bigger angrier looking blob and once you've defeated that phase he turns into a tombstone and attempts to flatten you. They're just a joy to fight, you just have to make sure you stay patient as some of them are quite a challenge.

 

I didn't expect the level of depth on offer in terms of weapons, load-out and skills. I thought you'd just have your bog-standard Cuphead with the clicky finger projectiles and away you go but there's a TON of upgrades you can buy at the shop, supers you can get from completing ghost parrying mini-games dotted around the world. I imagine the further you get into the game the more strategy will come into play, I've done well so far with my standard super, +1HP and greater spread projectiles but I know there'll be some bosses later on which'll almost require you to have a certain load-out in order to finish.

 

I guess I'm a little surprised with myself I haven't had a harder time of things though. I wouldn't say I'm good at platformers, I certainly like them on the verge of frustration (DKCR3D is one of my favourites for example) but this hasn't caused me to tear my hair out at all. Every boss seems very fair and easy to learn as long as you're patient and I really like that about it, I'm just a little surprised how quickly I managed to adapt and defeat some of them, the dual frog bosses for example I managed to defeat on what felt like only my 2nd or 3rd attempt whereas others like the Sunflower and Blue Blob gave me more problems.

 

But still, I managed to put them down relatively quickly and before frustration set in, which I think is a good thing, I was worried before I played this that I'd get fucked off with it like Sonic Mania and not go back to it, but it seems much better than that so far, much fairer and less cheap so I reckon I should be able to finish it as long as the difficulty curve doesn't go vertical in this next World.

 

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Yeah it's definitely challenging.

 

I didn't have too many issues with World 1 apart from the Blue blob and Sunflower really, surprised myself how quickly I got through the other bosses and run-n-gun levels but have found World 2 quite the eye-opener so far. 

 

The first clown boss took me ages to learn his patterns, I was trying out the Invisible dash Charm rather than the +1HP one as well so it took a bit of getting used to only having 3HP rather than 4, but yeah, stuck at it for what seemed like ages and finally managed to finish it. 

 

The next one (which was back in the Plane) I didn't have any problem with, and actually managed to get my highest rating (A-) so far, but the final Candy-Land one I had massive issues with, actually doubted whether I'd finish it or not at one point but persevered and clocked it. I think what made this one extra-tough for me was the randomised patterns at the start, there's about 4-5 different enemies you can face in the beginning 3 phases of the fight and each have wildly different attack patterns, as you weren't fighting them regularly it took longer to get used to them and know and how to defeat them. 

 

I did eventually learn all the individual enemies' patterns of the first 3 turns and adapted to them, but then I had to suss out the final big-boss phase of the fight before I could finish it off, toughest fight of the game so far for me by far.

 

Got another 2 more bosses and 2 more run-n-gun levels left in World 2.

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Thought to myself 'I'll just pop on for some Cuphead, finish these last two bosses in World 2 and then play some PUBG' 

 

The bird boss was pretty easy, another bullet-hell one where you're in a Plane, I somehow seem to be better at these than the regular boss battles, and I managed to put him down relatively quickly without any issues.

 

But then I went to the next one 'Firey Frolic'. Fuck, I'll remember that name as long as I live, what an absolute cunt of a battle that was, must've taken me about 2.5 hours to finally clock it.

 

It feels like it should be one of the Plane bosses, but instead they have you as regular platforming Cuphead hopping on clouds, avoiding enemies and their numerous projectiles. I had so much trouble with it, the first phase wasn't too bad once I got used to things but I still regularly had to restart due to fucking up stupidly every now and then but the second phase is the one that gave me the most trouble, there's a conveyor belt of fireballs under you and then fly up at random and hone in on you, knocking you off the clouds and disrupting your rhythm, it's so random that it took me AGES to get a strategy down just for this section. By the time I got to the final phase I had 1HP left which isn't enough at all and I never got very far.

 

Once I got a strategy down for dealing with the second phase (jumping at the last possible second when the fireball was about to attack) I was regularly getting to the final phase but the projectiles I was using (Roundabout) kept splitting the enemy projectiles into little bits which made them harder to dodge, so I swapped out my spread weapon for the peashooter and after quite a while I finally managed it.

 

I was literally jumping around the room with delight, that was so ridiculously tough. On the one hand I'm incredibly pleased I finished it (I actually thought that was it for my run on the regular difficulty) but I'm now worried about my chances against the World 3 bosses and beyond, as they're due to be much harder and that last boss was more frustrating than fun, if there's many more like that I'll have to put it down to Simple difficulty in order to maintain my own sanity.

 

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Played another 3 hours of this today, finished off the two run-n-gun missions in World 2.

 

Really enjoyed both of these, the fairground one was very easy but the other one with the gravity shifting was a right doozy. Took me a long time to get everything right with the timing and gravity switching at the right time, hell of a lot of elements to this level. Makes me wish there was far more of them in the game, really addictive levels with some great precise platforming required.


Then onto World 3. Surprisingly its been a breeze so far.

 

I bought all possible weapons at the shop which means I've now got the Lobber, Chaser and Charger to play with in addition to what, gives me lots more options with the bosses and figuring out which suits which the most which is very handy.

 

Tried out the Charger on the Bee boss and i thought it made a huge difference once i got the pattern down, seemed to get through the first phase in about 5 shots which is crazy really, had a little bit of trouble getting the second phase down as its very random and lots of differing factors in play but regularly managed it eventually and the 3rd phase was a doddle with the Chaser bullets.

 

Really enjoyed this fight, adored the music, the design of the boss itself and the environment it was set, really unique.

 

The next I tried was the Popeye-esque one on the boat. Couldn't believe how easy this one was, on my very first try I got to the final phase without any problems. Seemed so learn the random enemies he throws at you very quickly and managed to finish it in no more than 10 minutes, couldn't believe it really, definitely one of the easiest fights in the game (although some World 1 bosses are easier). 

 

Loved everything about this fight, just bags and bags of character, the enemy designs were just so vivid too.

 

Moved onto the next one I saw which was the Sea Dancer? Not sure what else to call her really :lol: which was the first Plane boss on the island. Didn't have too much trouble with this one either, the random nature of the attack phases and patterns took me a while to feet used to but I managed to send her to the sea bed without many problems.

 

Did the boardwalk run-n-gun level too, really enjoyed this and with the Chaser I could pretty much just wall along and kill everything in sight as I went, incredibly handy.

 

So yeah, made a hell of a lot more progress than I thought I would today and am absolutely loving it once again after my troubles yesterday.

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Played a bit more on Friday.

 

Watched a few speed runs the night before and saw a streamer using an interesting tactic, switching between Lobber and Roundabout shots constantly throughout the fight, I'm not sure of the advantage of this vs the Charge shot I saw other speedrunners using but I thought I'd give it a go in my game and see how I got on. 

 

So I remapped the controller so switching weapon is now down on the left trigger instead of bumper and went into a boss fight (Sally Stageplay) to see how I got on. After an adjustment period, I seemed to really get the hang of it, it is a bit weird having to constantly press and depress the left trigger whilst avoiding projectiles etc. that the boss is throwing at you but I got used to it quite quickly and I put her down within 5 minutes, maybe only my 4th or 5th try. A cool fight but definitely one of the least distinct in terms of design.

 

I then went on to another (Werner Werham) and once again defeated it on only my 4th or 5th try. I couldn't believe I'd now gone through two bosses in about 10 minutes, absolutely crazy, really enjoyed this fight too and the boss design was incredible (hearkens back to an old TV series ;) ) really enjoyed it.

 

I try to only fight 3 bosses per session now to avoid getting burnt out and losing my concentration so I entered the penultimate in World 3 (Dr Kahl's Robot). I'd heard a lot about this boss fight online, with loads of folks having major trouble with this, as soon as I went into it I could see why. It's another Plane one, but this one is probably the most bullet-hell I've faced, the third phase (one I finally managed to figure out the pattern of the 1st and 2nd phases) is absolutely bananas, tons and tons of projectiles flying at you at all times and you have to avoid metal sheets that can take you out in an instant as well. After awhile I managed it without too many problems, it was definitely tough and this is the only fight on World 3 I've been fist-pumping to after completion.

 

I had one last run-n-gun level to do so I went into this. Ironically had a harder time of this then most of the boss battles in World 3, took me quite a while to get a rhythm down to the Platforming and there's a reasonably tough escape-platform section at the end which required much more precise timing than any of the other run-n-gun levels so far. But yeah, finished this after awhile and called it a day there, I've only got one boss to do on World 3 now before moving onto the ominously named 'Finale'.

 

I've come to the conclusion that this may be the best games soundtrack of all time as well, it's just absolutely spectacular in every way. I signed up for a Soundcloud Go free trial just so I could listen to it offline when I was on the Train earlier, saw iam8bit had a $100 4-Vinyl collector's edition in stock and just had to put it on the credit card. My old man's a big fan of the music, I lent him the headphones on the World 3 map to listen to the theme and he was spellbound, so I'll give the vinyl collection to him for Xmas and have a good ol' listen myself as well. 

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Finished it today, took me 15 hours in total.

 

Had a bit of trouble with the last boss in World 3 (Skeleton), couldn't get the timing down for the final phase, realised after awhile I needed to move the train-cart to avoid where he spews his projectiles and managed it a few tries after that, struggled a bit though which I didn't expect.

 

Then on to the foreboding Casino to face

Spoiler

King Dice and the Devil.

 

The

Spoiler

King Dice

fight is probably one of my favourites of the entire game. It plays out completely differently to any other with you having to

 

Spoiler

 

play a game of chance with some Dice.

 

So you have a mini-roulette looking board across the top of the screen, each number there's a mini-boss battle to fight which are all completely unique from one another, in addition to this landing on some of the squares grants you a heart for +1HP and others are 'safe' squares where you don't battle a mini-boss and essentially get a free throw.

 

Therefore, timing the parry's on the Dice in order to roll the number you want to roll is extremely important, if you roll incorrectly you may even have to start all over again as the final square on the grid is 'start over' :o. Luckily I never got onto that square, but seeing as it's the penultimate one, and one away from the finish it would've been incredibly annoying.

 

Just learning the different mini-bosses patterns and hoping you didn't take too much damage on them took some time, but I was managing to get to the finish quite regularly. I (stupidly) thought the fight would be over at this stage, but then you have to fight King Dice himself in a mini-boss battle which involves a ridiculous amount of parrying walking playing cards along the floor. The timing required is devilish at times, but do-able and I soon managed it after awhile, if you can get 6HP through the extra hearts on the board beforehand it's much easier to deal with, even so I only scraped through with 1HP remaining at the end.

 

Then onto the

Spoiler

Devil. Another fantastically designed fight, the first phase is ridiculously random, he can put out 1 of about 8 different projectiles/attacks to try to hit you with in such a random order you won't know what's coming next, it's difficult to get proficient at learning them as well as they swap over with such regularity. Plenty of headaches just getting through the first phase, but the rest of the fight is pretty simple really, some platforming and dodging of projectiles required but all quite do-able really and nothing too crazy, it's just getting to stage 2 with all your health remaining after the challenging phase 1 that was the problem. Took me awhile but I put a decent run together and managed it with just 1HP remaining,

GAME COMPLETE :D

 

What a game. Honestly, it has absolutely blown me away, the art style is just incredible but the music, the music man! It's just absolutely phenomenal, the best video-game soundtrack of all time in my mind and every track just seems to fit with the level/boss battle so perfectly it's unreal, the thought of being able to play it in Vinyl on a 70s record player at Xmas is just spine-tingling. You don't mind replaying levels/battles over and over again because as soon as you restart you'll be hit with the fantastic music and be swaying your head in time with the music, I can't put into words how good it is.

 

Yes, it's a very daunting prospect for many I'd imagine, there are parts where I was tearing my hair out and thinking I wouldn't be able to finish it (mainly just the Beppi the Clown and Dragon boss fights, fuck those guys) but as long as you've got the patience to try, try and try again, learning through your mistakes then you'll eventually get there, the music will help you along the way and keep you motivated too. I must mention the boss designs as well, they're all so unique and charismatic, every fight feels incredibly different and every boss has a personality all of their own, some hearken back to old cartoons from your childhood, some feel like warped fever dreams or LSD trips, a fantastic piece of work, art and design in perfect harmony.

 

I don't say this very often. But it's a perfect game in every regard, there's no technical issues, the art design is phenomenal, the music is phenomenal, the level design/boss battles are phenomenal, the controls are incredibly tight and responsive and the viciously difficult Platformer/Shoot 'em Up gameplay is so incredibly rewarding and fulfilling.

 

There's nothing else like it, Xbox has it's second must-have (console) exclusive, bravo!  

 

My scorecard:

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Spoiler

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Nice going @Blakey, finishing it is no easy thing. I've just finished World 1, that fucking Sunflower bitch...

 

 

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Being a little achievement whore I have to go for the top ranks but I do love a challenge. This game continues to be a visual and audio joy and it's got crack like gameplay tha keeps yo coming back. World 2 yo.

 

EDIT: I'm fighting the candy house lady (EDIT EDIT: Baroness Von Bon Bon and she's dead as a witches cunt!) , it's fucking genius.

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Haha ta @illdog ;)

 

You'll definitely have a tougher time of it than I did going for those A scores, the Sunflower was definitely the toughest boss I faced in World 1, but it didn't give me too many issues.

 

The Dragon in World 2 was really the only 'wall' I've had, I honestly didn't believe I'd finish that at one time but got past it. Others that gave me issues were Beppi the Clown in World 2 and the Bee and Robot in World 3, everything else I didn't have many issues with. I think getting the Charge shot in World 3 and then learning the rapid weapon switch trick made things a darn sight easier than they could've been.

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WP_20171013_11_50_30_Pro.jpg

 

That's World 2 done. Uh, Grim Matchstick, that son of a horse fucker. I just found the second and third parts to be so unpredictabe, I just couldn't work out how to mianipulate my own safety. I used the boomerang as my secondary shot, it fires for a medium distance in front of you then covers the full screen behind you. Seen as two thirds of this boss battle are behind you I can't see how else you would do it.

 

I have to say that Djimmi (Genie) and Beppi the Clown were both absolute assholes to beat as well, so glad it's done but for all my frustration I really enjoyed it and it feels great to have beaten that world with good scores, it was not easy.

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I can't do the bee which is the first boss in World 3. Blakey seemed to have little trouble, I can get to the last phase without too much bother but I get destroyed by the final phase even if i get there with full health. You know, if Cupheads feet werent a hitbox i'd breeze through this game, i feel like 80% of the time I'm hit it's the fucking soles of his feet. It's the first time i've not had fun depite losing alot, this boss is getting me down.

 

Oh, and the loading times can fuck off too.

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I actually had more issues with phases 2 and 3 than the final phase of the Bee, if you've got the Lobber or Chaser I'd highly recommend equipping (or buying them from the store) those for the final phase of the Bee, it makes it an absolute doddle. 

 

And I don't want to be all PCMR but the loading times are significantly reduced on PC fortunately.

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Yeah was gonna post that earlier but there's no news thread so I felt a bit conflicted :lol:

 

Anyhoo:

 

 

Huge congrats to them, definitely one of my GOTYs, such a fantastic achievement. 

 

Reach down to your nagglies, find some ball bearings and come join me and illdizzle @Nag ;)

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It turns out I wasnt mixing up my weapons enough. Once i bought the Chaser weapon and mixed that with the Peashooter the bee boss (Rumor Honeybottoms) was much easier, the Chaser homes in without you having to aim but it's damage is weak, Before I bee-t her (ithankyou) I had to go and do a run and gun level to get more coins as I had foolishly spent mine on everything other than what it turns out I actually needed. Perilous Piers was tough, it's that bloody octopus section at the end that took the time but I got there eventually (after many deaths). Missed a coin the first time though but had enough now to go to the shop and purchase my mush needed Chaser. Went back to Perilous Piers equiped with said weapon to get the last coin and absolutely pissed it. Then back to Rumor, took a few attempts to get in the swing of things but she went down with an A rank to boot.

 

Here's the other thing. The A rank struggle is real. The perfect score (of which I have ony got one of) is to end the battle in under 2 minutes, parry three times, use 6 points of Supershots, no damage taken and beat the boss on Normal. You can slip up on two of those things at the most and end with an A minus. So I always make sure I get the 3 parry's, use the Supershot fully charged (which is 5 points) and then at least one more time at any level of charge, beat it on Normal then I leave the final two up to luck. I can't always avoid getting hit and I can't guarantee beating the boss in under 2 minutes but as long as I do the other things an A rank is mine.

 

The two aeroplane bosses, Dr Karls Robot and Cala Maria (she's hot!) weren;'t too bad, took 5 or 6 attempts each, as did Sally Stageplay. When I beat Sally I pounded her good, used the Eight Way for all but the final stage when I switched to the Chaser as there is constantly things to avoid. A ranks all round.

 

That leaves two bosses and a run and gun on World 3. We got this?

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Surprised you went for it, I think of you as the AAA guy. It's always a little disappointing to try something that's nearly universally praised and finding you just don't like it. 

 

I was conflicted on it because I'm not usually into masochistic difficulty in games like Super Meat Boy etc. , but enjoyed what I saw on videos of this, and it looks so well made. I decided on Saturday night just to give it a try, as it's not very expensive.

 

I'm enjoying it so far (only on world 1), and I am finding it challenging, but not frustratingly so. I'm OK that it might get too difficult for me to finish at the moment. 

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