Cuphead

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1826 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,514 out of 1826
  2. Mixed: 164 out of 1826
  3. Negative: 148 out of 1826

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  1. hoppahippo
    Dec 8, 2017
    5
    The huge pulling force of this game is obviously the art style. Beautifully animated and unlike anything I have seen in a game before. The music is also top-notch.

    But sadly that doesn't stop this game from lacking in the most important: gameplay. It's just not fun. The game is basically a series of really difficult boss fights in a row. You loose a bunch of times against the enemy    The huge pulling force of this game is obviously the art style. Beautifully animated and unlike anything I have seen in a game before. The music is also top-notch.

    But sadly that doesn't stop this game from lacking in the most important: gameplay. It's just not fun. The game is basically a series of really difficult boss fights in a row. You loose a bunch of times against the enemy until you figure the pattern out, beat it and then move on to the next one. In between you sometimes get an average platforming level. It's quite grindy and quickly becomes pointless and boring. The world also feels lifeless, as everything is static and there's no real story or characters introduced.    … Expand
  2. Zer0TheHer0
    Oct 3, 2017
    5
    the graphics are fantastic. the music is great. controls are good. the overall artistical design is awesome. they did an insanely good job on that. probably one of the most beautiful games i've ever played. it's astonishing.
    but... but it's too hard. I like a challenge, but it's too much. there are 2 difficulty settings, but even in simple the game is unforginving and frustrating, and    the graphics are fantastic. the music is great. controls are good. the overall artistical design is awesome. they did an insanely good job on that. probably one of the most beautiful games i've ever played. it's astonishing.
    but... but it's too hard. I like a challenge, but it's too much. there are 2 difficulty settings, but even in simple the game is unforginving and frustrating, and also in "simple" mode you don't earn contracts items from the bosses, forcing you to play "hard" if you want to really complete the game. also, the "run and gun" levels are extremely hard, they're not very interesting to play (level design is very bland and unimaginative) and you can't change the difficulty settings for them.
    I really wish this was a "Mario" game with this artistical direction. a classic platform with this artistical direction and Mario's attention to detail and level design would have been a masterpiece for the ages. let's hope in a cuphead 2 for that.

    again, artistically is incredible, but it's not fun to play.    … Expand
  3. Aginagala
    Nov 5, 2017
    7
    A beautiful and fantastically well made game, Cuphead proves that you don't need giant open worlds and stunning graphics with poxy add ons that are commonplace of modern gaming to create a great video game. I found myself going back to this game even through all the raging and countless hours spent on that dastardly Bee Boss, I simply loved my experience with this game, The soundtracks andA beautiful and fantastically well made game, Cuphead proves that you don't need giant open worlds and stunning graphics with poxy add ons that are commonplace of modern gaming to create a great video game. I found myself going back to this game even through all the raging and countless hours spent on that dastardly Bee Boss, I simply loved my experience with this game, The soundtracks and small attention to detail in sound was another thing that made this game thoroughly enjoyable, and although annoying at times I did love this part of the game. Moreover something that kept bringing me back to trying to defeat a boss over and over is the fact that you never feel it's the games fault if you die, it's always something you do that causes you to be unable to climb the final hurdle which a lot of games completely fail to do. Overall I'd say this game is a must have for any type of gamer, a smooth fps and little to no bugs, your experience with this game, although infuriating, will be fantastic.… Expand
  4. atomlord
    Jun 30, 2018
    7
    Очень самобытный графический стиль. Гемплей намеренно усложнен большим количеством хитпоинтов у врагов и малым количеством у игрока, а выбора сложности как таковой нету, только упрощенные версии босов из за чего не хардкорные игроки будут страдать и вряд ли смогут насладится игрой в полной мере.Очень самобытный графический стиль. Гемплей намеренно усложнен большим количеством хитпоинтов у врагов и малым количеством у игрока, а выбора сложности как таковой нету, только упрощенные версии босов из за чего не хардкорные игроки будут страдать и вряд ли смогут насладится игрой в полной мере.
  5. le_will
    Jan 24, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. cuphead is a piece of **** game this game is trash i hate this game it is sadistic im going back to call of duty. It has a little something for everyone. 7.3/10.… Expand
  6. noise
    Oct 24, 2017
    6
    Cuphead is a good game and worth playing but, although your experience may differ, it left me wanting.

    Before continuing, please take note that, unlike many, my philosophy is to review the product, not the manufacturing process. No one gets a handicap because they drew every frame by hand or spent 7 years in development. Those things bring about a certain respect for the developers (who    Cuphead is a good game and worth playing but, although your experience may differ, it left me wanting.

    Before continuing, please take note that, unlike many, my philosophy is to review the product, not the manufacturing process. No one gets a handicap because they drew every frame by hand or spent 7 years in development. Those things bring about a certain respect for the developers (who made those decisions on their own volition), but it has no bearing on the in-game experience whatsoever. Alright, now that the Cuphead bandwagon crowd hates me...

    The boss battles, being the bulk of the game, are definitely well above average for the genre. They are challenging enough to keep you engaged but not so challenging that you'll want to stop playing altogether. That said, the game will test your patience. Be prepared to suffer multiple deaths in most battles (unless you use some sort of guide) as the player must learn their opponent's attacks in order to react to them properly. The best aspect of the boss battles is the way the battle progresses as you deal more and more damage to your opponent. This progression alone makes the experience worthwhile.

    Here's where things are lacking. Visually, it's very unique. For this reason, it would have been nice to have more things to explore at my leisure rather than just jump from boss to boss with no change of pace in between. The only truly interactive part of the game outside of running and gunning is the NPCs scattered throughout the map-- and they rarely have anything interesting or useful to say. The dialogue and story do very little to compliment this art style that is beloved by so many. Cuphead had such great potential to harness the amazing power of nostalgia, but the game just does not capitalize on it as much as I would've liked.

    If anything, you should play it because of the $20 price tag and because the developers obviously put a lot of work into it. I'm sure they would love to hear your feedback.

    + Engaging gameplay
    + Appealing visuals
    + Stands out from the crowd
    - Lackluster story & dialogue
    - Overly linear, almost tiring experience

    One final note: I don't consider 6/10 a "mixed" review like Metacritic does. My experience with Cuphead was mostly positive.    … Expand
  7. prossnip42
    Jul 29, 2018
    7
    Let's get one thing straight..Cuphead is a good game. It's enjoyable and incredibly rewarding. However it also is one of the most overrated games i've played in recent years. Why? Well hear me out

    Pros: -One thing that is undeniable about Cuphead is that the game looks **** incredible. The animation is so good you can see every painstaking moment that the extremely talented artist had    Let's get one thing straight..Cuphead is a good game. It's enjoyable and incredibly rewarding. However it also is one of the most overrated games i've played in recent years. Why? Well hear me out

    Pros:
    -One thing that is undeniable about Cuphead is that the game looks **** incredible. The animation is so good you can see every painstaking moment that the extremely talented artist had to go through. It looks fantastic
    -The gamemplay is incredibly addicting. The one thing i'll give Cuphead is that it is one of the most rewarding games i've ever played. The feeling that you'll get when you defeat a really hard boss is downright orgasmic. However not all is right here

    Cons:
    -The game is way too hard. I know that the get gud crowd will attack but honestly i really don't care. There is a difference between challenging difficulty (Like Princess Bon Bon and the frog brothers) and cheap difficulty (Like that bee **** and King Dice which is just a collection of go **** yourself).
    -There's no point to the easy difficulty. It's just there to tease you. Either don't have easy difficulty or have it be able to progress the game
    -And finally i did run into a couple of game breaking glitches

    And there you go. Cuphead is definetly a good game but it is still very overrated    … Expand
  8. MyHonestReview
    Oct 17, 2017
    6
    The game is aesthetically good, and it plays nicely. But it's fairly short and doesn't offer anything new gameplay wise. Artificial difficulty plays a huge part in the boss fights, making me like it less. It's ultimately a mediocre game with really good art. And short. Way too short for the price. I finished the game in just over 3 hours.
  9. dr_heartless
    Nov 17, 2017
    5
    Far too hard, you've heard that time and time again but it's so true. I tried again and again, single player, two player, learn the patterns of the bosses, watching videos to try and learn stages to clear stages, slowly build up coins to add some perks to increase my power and still it's dying again and again in what ends up becoming a frustrating and ultimately ends up being a game thatFar too hard, you've heard that time and time again but it's so true. I tried again and again, single player, two player, learn the patterns of the bosses, watching videos to try and learn stages to clear stages, slowly build up coins to add some perks to increase my power and still it's dying again and again in what ends up becoming a frustrating and ultimately ends up being a game that looks amazing but is not fun to play.

    The art style is beyond amazing. There is so much love and polish put into this game its a shame that most people will give up long before they get to see most of it. From the smooth animations, the perfect audio and the amazing background models it's all a treat for the eyes and ears. I have loved seeing game play videos of all the stages my weak human hands and brain will not be able to get me to in the game.

    The gameplay is okay. Controls are fine, the jumping is tight, the shooting feels right but where it falls short is the parry mechanic. Parry sadly just doesn't work all the time no matter how hard you try. It's really hard to tell why you're able to land one parry over another and starts to fell totally random. It clearly is a move the dev wanted you to get down, it revives your partner, doges shots and fills up your special attack. However you more likely give up on it to avoid taking damage.

    The second a patch comes out that offers a normal, medium or for simple humans mode this score will shoot up to a 10. It's such a let down that I can't recommend this to anyone other than hardcore bullet hell fans.    … Expand
  10. thinkermonkey
    Oct 19, 2017
    5
    There are so many positive comments in this game that people would believe this is a master piece, but is not.
    There are many failures, that I have to say because it seems that people want to bootlick the studio that developed the game.
    Lets start by the positive points of the game: 1. Graphics are fantastic. The sensation of play a cartoon is one of the most incredible ever created in    There are so many positive comments in this game that people would believe this is a master piece, but is not.
    There are many failures, that I have to say because it seems that people want to bootlick the studio that developed the game.
    Lets start by the positive points of the game:
    1. Graphics are fantastic. The sensation of play a cartoon is one of the most incredible ever created in a game.
    2. The music is another complement that turns the immersion inside the 1930 cartoon even more "realistic".
    3. The game has 3 worlds and a final stage, the first two worlds are almost perfectly executed.
    Now the negative points:
    1. Unfortunately the incredible sensation that you feel in the first two worlds are not the same in the last world and in the final stage.
    2. There are some glitches and freezes, if you play for more that 3 hours almost for sure you will experience some kind of freeze that obligates you to restart the game, even some enemies or bosses may present glitches sometimes.
    3. Many reviews say that the game has a "fair" difficulty, even comparing Cuphead to Dark Souls series. I totally disagree with that, I played Dark Souls series, especially Dark Souls 3, where I acquired all the trophies.
    To me Cuphead has a fair difficulty only in the first two worlds, the third world and final stage have a clear "unfair" difficulty with the only objective to make the game last longer, because without the extra unfair difficulty in the last stages you would complete the game in only a couple hours. You can see some speed runners on youtube completing the game in less than 90 minutes. That extra unfair difficulty in the last stages for me is the worst part of cuphead, making you repeat stages over and over only to make the game last longer.    … Expand
  11. Neatqt
    Feb 25, 2019
    7
    Cast: 7/10
    Story: 7/10
    Fun: 7/10
    Gameplay: 9/10

    Recommended
    ----------------------
  12. andrey1990
    Nov 15, 2018
    7
    This game is not for those who wants interesting story or beautifull graphic and world. This is simple arcada game in retro vision. Game for a limited audience. I'm tired of playing it after 7-8 bosses
  13. Vellinaria
    Jul 20, 2018
    6
    Great artistic design and music.... didn't like the gameplay though. Is not for everyone
  14. 100percenter
    May 6, 2020
    5
    This game is adorable with really good music, but the game itself is just meh.there are only 6 platforming levels in the game which is pretty disappointing. Some of the boss fights are good but many of them feel repetitive and annoying. People are always talking about how hard this game is, but I don’t think hard is the right word. I’d say annoying. Sometimes the boss will have a littleThis game is adorable with really good music, but the game itself is just meh.there are only 6 platforming levels in the game which is pretty disappointing. Some of the boss fights are good but many of them feel repetitive and annoying. People are always talking about how hard this game is, but I don’t think hard is the right word. I’d say annoying. Sometimes the boss will have a little cue when it’s about to do an attack, but sometimes not. That’s just poor design. You can’t expect me to just guess when they are going to take up half the screen with an attack. They also have tons of enemy spam and it’s especially annoying since the backgrounds are so detailed, the enemies can blend in with it and you won’t know what’s going on. Also sometimes the game will literally trap you somewhere and forces you to get hit. The only motivation I have to 100% (technically 200% because it’ll say that on my file) the game is that I payed 20$ for it.… Expand
  15. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    5
    cool graphics, pointless gameplay
    dont like to try over and over again.....
  16. Hhogcritic
    Jun 15, 2020
    5
    The game is actually not that bad. It feels nice, the art style is on the point, but the gameplay is.. is just the same as another platformers. I mean, it cannot offer something new gameplay stuff. The balance of difficulty is so awful, i dont understand why the dragon, king dice, robot(blender or who is it lol), bee harder than Devil. Devil is a main villain, and i beat it soo fast like.The game is actually not that bad. It feels nice, the art style is on the point, but the gameplay is.. is just the same as another platformers. I mean, it cannot offer something new gameplay stuff. The balance of difficulty is so awful, i dont understand why the dragon, king dice, robot(blender or who is it lol), bee harder than Devil. Devil is a main villain, and i beat it soo fast like. Idk why, but the guys that made the arts is awesome, but the idea of adding a lot of stupid random to boss makes them harder than devil, its doesn't makes any sense what the hell. If you pass the game it will start being boring for you. It starts feel raw. This game has a bunch of weird bugs to.. Its weird because the game isnt very big at all.... 5/10 is max that i can put to this project, tbh;… Expand
  17. SableSoldi3r
    Oct 12, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is nothing I could say about Cuphead's art style that you don't already know. The whole game feels like you're interacting with a 1930's cartoon via a controller, and it's entrancing. It's super unique, and keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The gameplay is equally intoxicating for someone like me. With Mario games becoming easier and easier with every release, Cuphead was a refreshing venture back into the NES era of tough-as-nails platformers like Mega Man and Contra that gave me a run for my money.

    As a casual player, this game has the potential to frustrate you to no end. As I said, Cuphead is, by no means, an easy game. It will push you to your limits, and it will make you yell expletives at your screen. The challenge is just enough for veterans of the NES era. The ratio of boss levels to run-and-gun levels is 3 to 1, which makes the game feel more like a boss rush than a traditional platformer. The hidden coins, unlockable Super Arts and weapons, and scorecards help to add a lot of replayability to the game and certainly give you more than your money's worth as far as content is concerned.

    That being said, this game is an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE for completionists. Misleading parry windows, randomly taking damage, bugs, glitches, freezing, crashing, and a slew of other problems lead to Cuphead being a game of blind luck and chance rather than a game of skill.

    Let's use the level "High Seas Hi-Jinx" as an example. S-Rank is the best rating you can get on any given boss level, and in order to do this, you need to beat the level on Expert difficulty. In addition to this, one of the requirements to get the best rank on a level is to parry three pink objects that the boss sends your way. The problem with this stage is: that isn't possible on every single run. Pink enemies only appear in one particular wave of enemies that this boss summons, and that wave has variations that only spawn two pink enemies instead of the necessary three. What this means is that, in any given run, there are multiple scenarios:

    1) you'll get the wave early on in your run and you'll be able to get an S-Rank if you continue to fulfill all of the other requirements
    2) you'll get the wave that only spawns two pink enemies, when you need three
    3) you'll get the wave too late in the run, and the boss will transition to her next phase in the middle of the wave, giving you one or two pink enemies at most
    4) you just won't get that wave at all

    As you can see, the probability of getting a perfect run is weighed heavily against you. Not only that, but you're also required to beat a target time to receive an S-Rank. So, because you're on a time crunch, you can't just sit around, not doing damage, waiting for the wave you need. In order to S-Rank this level, the most consistent way is to start the match, wait for the first enemy wave, and see if it's the parry wave you need. If it's not, you restart and try this again. Having a skill-driven achievement locked behind this utterly broken, waste of time that this game calls a level is asinine, to say the least.

    Another gripe I had was in "One Hell of a Time", the final level. In his first phase, The Devil will do an attack where he will stretch his neck in a serpentine motion, pressure you to the opposite side of the screen, and then retract his neck back. When he fully extends, he will leave just enough room for you to stand between his face and the wall, before retreating back the opposite way and into the background, allowing you to freely move once more. This is the problem, however: If he comes from the right side towards the left side, the instant he retracts into the background, if you're still on the left side of the screen, you'll take damage, for no reason whatsoever, with no indication whatsoever. If he comes from the left side towards the right side, there's no issue. This is very obviously a bug, and a glaring one at that. It's possible to dodge this, but you shouldn't have to. There are a few other examples of this sprinkled throughout the game that I've noticed, such as the first eyeball barrage attack in "Railroad Wrath" simply glitching out and teleporting all over the place, and the top margin of the screen in "Honeycomb Herald" being obnoxiously and disorientingly large, and it just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

    All in all, Cuphead is a great game that, unfortunately, failed to deliver on its promise. It prides itself on its difficulty, and the community praises the game for the same reason, but it's an artificial difficulty that wants to reward skill, but can't because of the game's numerous flaws. I feel that if the game was delayed for another month or two, and the developers were able to iron out at least a few of the kinks, then this could have been a really polished game. However, what we're left with just seems really sloppy, incompetent, and insulting to the people who were up to the challenge.    … Expand
  18. Salvale
    Nov 25, 2018
    6
    It's easy enough to dismiss this review as one of many "gaem to hard it suxx" reviews, but do keep in mind that Dark Souls is my second favourite game of all time. Moving on, this is very likely the most overrated game I've ever played. None of the bosses feel memorable, and this is an immense issue considering that 90% of the gameplay is boss fights. For me, it never feels like anythingIt's easy enough to dismiss this review as one of many "gaem to hard it suxx" reviews, but do keep in mind that Dark Souls is my second favourite game of all time. Moving on, this is very likely the most overrated game I've ever played. None of the bosses feel memorable, and this is an immense issue considering that 90% of the gameplay is boss fights. For me, it never feels like anything more than a bullet hell with different visuals and slightly different jazz playing in the background. It's largely trial and error with some (sometimes offensively bad) rng mixed in. Let's make an analogy to my favourite game of all time - Hollow Knight. HK has this exact issue with the final boss of the pantheons, who in fear of spoilers, will remain unnamed. Now imagine that boss, but it's the entire game. A grindy demi-bullet hell that rides solely off of visuals and music. The difference being, the HK boss is considered one of the weaker ones in the game, and Cuphead is somehow one of the most popular games of 2017.
    Given this, It must sound like I straight-up detest the game. Not that anything I say matters very much, I'm sure innumerate people will dislike this review the instant they see the yellow. So what did I like about this game?
    Well the controls were sufficient, the arbitrary artistic enjoyment was there, and the game was decently entertaining.
    And that's about it.    … Expand
  19. nilsy
    Oct 8, 2017
    7
    It reminds me of "shadow of colossus", it has basically only boss fights it cuts away anything not necessary.
    This is to me the draw of the game the fact there is no wasted time its all quality time.
    Did not like the music, dont think it fits the gamestyle even if it is in theme with game. To me it was a serious drawback these types of game really thrive on a good soundtrack and found    It reminds me of "shadow of colossus", it has basically only boss fights it cuts away anything not necessary.
    This is to me the draw of the game the fact there is no wasted time its all quality time.

    Did not like the music, dont think it fits the gamestyle even if it is in theme with game. To me it was a serious drawback these types of game really thrive on a good soundtrack and found this very weak.
    Graphics almost made up for it was great.

    Its to hard for me, and i suspect the majority of players.
    Id be very hesitant to recommend this to most my friends since its just so hard
    It seems these days there are only extreme hard games and super easy games.
    Were is the balanced games    … Expand
  20. Road_Dogg
    Sep 29, 2017
    6
    It's a good game! Isn't that difficult for who played the Mega Man series, Contra or the goddamn Crash 1 remastered.
    You guys can wait for a sale!!!!!
  21. mikehettfield
    Sep 29, 2017
    5
    A nice challenging game of the likes we havent's seen in a while, with great gameplay mechanics, making up for diexterity and mastery of the game, with lots of replayability.

    Although in my personal case it's a dificult game to look at, forcing myself to ignore the emulated drawings of old cartoons, the overall experience for me was unpleasant not by the challenge but for the desing,    A nice challenging game of the likes we havent's seen in a while, with great gameplay mechanics, making up for diexterity and mastery of the game, with lots of replayability.

    Although in my personal case it's a dificult game to look at, forcing myself to ignore the emulated drawings of old cartoons, the overall experience for me was unpleasant not by the challenge but for the desing, giving me axiety until I've left off after almost 2 hours, to the point I'm considering to ask for a refund on Steam, knowing that my reason it's not a defect of the game, but for me it really was, if you can stand drawings, and enjoy a good challenge, it's a mut have game.    … Expand
  22. DinoBeam
    Jul 30, 2022
    6
    Cuphead varies between fun bosses, and bosses that are so cheap you have no chance to learn how to improve.
  23. SelimDemirci
    Mar 21, 2022
    7
    hoş grafikleri var fakat zor bir oyun, eğlencesine bir kaç dakika takılacak bir oyun değil, zorluk seviyesi yüksek ve refleks isteyen platform oyunları istiyorsanız güzel. düşük puan verdiğime bakmayın ben oynayamadım...
  24. andrew9
    Feb 15, 2022
    5
    cuphead .
  25. Mr_Robot
    Aug 16, 2020
    7
    Нормально, мне и моему другу понравилось.
  26. fr0st1
    Oct 14, 2021
    7
    Люблю и ненавижу. Хочу удалить и снова захожу. Отличный платформер с отличной графикой, жаль не дождался на PS4 и прошел на ПК.
  27. Whyeeszy
    May 16, 2021
    6
    Probably the most difficult game I’ve ever played, waste of money if you hate a game without an easy mode.
  28. smith7ba
    Dec 11, 2020
    6
    Visually stunning, especially appreciative of the creative process after watching how the game was made. Also the musical score and other sounds are unique and so intriguing, but HOT DAMN the game is unplayable. I mean I want to be good at this game but at the same time I don't want to dedicate an hour on each battle figuring out exactly how everything works etc. dying a million times onlyVisually stunning, especially appreciative of the creative process after watching how the game was made. Also the musical score and other sounds are unique and so intriguing, but HOT DAMN the game is unplayable. I mean I want to be good at this game but at the same time I don't want to dedicate an hour on each battle figuring out exactly how everything works etc. dying a million times only to be frustrated when I finally beat a boss. Yikes this game is sadistic.… Expand
  29. Memessqn
    Dec 13, 2020
    7
    07/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  30. SgtSocks
    May 12, 2023
    7
    the Graphics in this game will go down as an all time classic, game play is challenging, and a bit frustrating at times but hey, that's just a part of the Cuphead experience
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Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PC Game of 2017
9
#9 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
9
#9 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 19, 2017
    85
    Cuphead is a stunningly looking, wonderfully animated interactive cartoon with three hours of jazz and ragtime playing in the background. Its gameplay however lacks the brilliance of the audiovisual layer. [12/2017, p.46]
  2. IGN Japan
    Dec 14, 2017
    90
    It is easy to tell that the developers studied the history of the genre through and through, delivering a stellar run and gun experience brought to life with unique old fashioned cartoon graphics. It may have it flaws, but when a game is this appealing it is easy to forgive.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Nov 12, 2017
    90
    An amazing looking game that will punish you. And you'll like it. [Issue#267, p.65]
    Read full review
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