User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 488 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 43 out of 488

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  1. Apr 18, 2019
    10
    Cuphead is still as great as ever, and now you can play it on the go. Any old school gamers will be pleased. Just be prepared for a challenge.
  2. Jun 2, 2020
    10
    The art style is superb. The game is challenging yet enjoyable. It’s an original and fantastic debut game from Studio MDHR and I enjoyed every running, gunning moment.
  3. Apr 19, 2019
    9
    A fantastic game so colorful and with amazing animation. The effort by the creators is evident in every part of the game. Incredibly difficult but in the way that makes you want to beat it more. Highly recommend it
  4. Jun 2, 2019
    8
    Let's get this out of the way. I am a big retro game fan. Cuphead on its surface is a 'reskinned' Contra game. Despite its beautiful graphic, done in a style reminiscent of toons form the 30's, it is an old school game at its heart. Herein lies its biggest problem. I could not imagine why reviewers put this as the '2nd coming' and game of the year material. It is not. I have played soLet's get this out of the way. I am a big retro game fan. Cuphead on its surface is a 'reskinned' Contra game. Despite its beautiful graphic, done in a style reminiscent of toons form the 30's, it is an old school game at its heart. Herein lies its biggest problem. I could not imagine why reviewers put this as the '2nd coming' and game of the year material. It is not. I have played so many run and gun games over the year and I can assure you, it is not even close to 'Contra 3: The Alien Wars'. It is also a studio that revels that old Nintendo style magic; akin to hair pulling but addictive offerings like Donkey Kong Country. Cuphead strives for it but never really striking that 'sweet spot'. There is a sense of repetitiveness on the way you handled the beautifully animated bosses. Power up are locked away for the 'hardcore fan' and you ended up using a 'stupid' pea shooter throughout most of the game. The parry system which was essential, was not explained 'clearly'. Heck, I even have to look up in you tube how to use the super special. Yeah, a lot of users may say..wow..'Dharma you noob', but Cuphead feels like a game that purposely punish the players. Well, I seemed to be harsh here but this is due to the lofty expectations I had because of the reviews. As it is, a great offering from an Indie studio, which has incredible potential, but not a '9' or even a '10'. As it is on the Switch, it pales in comparison with regard to Nintendo's own games. Expand
  5. Apr 20, 2019
    10
    A phenominal acheivment that deserves to be played. I can't say enough good thing about this game.
    .
  6. Apr 20, 2019
    10
    Absolutely fantastic homage to cartoons of old! Has a nice difficulty curve that anyone that bothers to put in at least a small effort can get the hang of.
  7. Apr 21, 2019
    9
    Cuphead is a really fabulous game!!

    ......"Great day for a swell battle"..... Visuals 100/100 Everything in this game was created following the old cartoon art, and it looks great. All bosses are a delight for the eye, the world map is very catchy. The only drawback is when you are fighting, there are lots of colorful things on the screen and may confuse you. Music 80/100
    Cuphead is a really fabulous game!!

    ......"Great day for a swell battle".....

    Visuals 100/100
    Everything in this game was created following the old cartoon art, and it looks great. All bosses are a delight for the eye, the world map is very catchy. The only drawback is when you are fighting, there are lots of colorful things on the screen and may confuse you.

    Music 80/100
    Old jazz music was selected for this game and that was an excellent decision, just to match the old cartoon style. But sometimes it feels too loud or too fast, it should have mixed up with some low tempo songs.

    Story 80/100
    Very simple story, just a problem to solve: not letting the devil devour your soul. It may sound like no story at all, but hey... Mario games or platforms not oriented to gameplay have a deep, meaningful story?

    Gameplay 90/100
    Gameplay may be simple at first, but takes time to master. Shooting, dashing and jumping must be done at the right moments to minimize the risk of being hit. Even if you have mastered the gameplay, it may take several attempts to really beat bosses. Sometimes you take control of an airplane, but manipulating it is similar to walking. As long as you progress through the game and collect coins, you can acquire abilities that can be used to face bosses, making levels a bit easier.

    Length and difficulty. 90/100
    The game is really short, but all those attempts took some time. Most of the time you are fighting bosses, but I wish you could do more platform missions. The difficulty is hard, really hard, but that is not a drawback, real platform players who seek a challenge, they will really have fun with this game. This is challenging and not suited for everyone (easily frustrating people).

    Overall 90/100
    It is really a fun game, beautifully made to the eye and the music is jazzy, which is perfect. It offers a real challenge because of its difficulty, but it is something that gives soul to the game, the feeling of beating a tough enemy is great.
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  8. Apr 26, 2019
    9
    That was fun, I can’t wait to never play it again.

    Seriously though, people weren’t joking about this game’s difficulty. It’s a rough and often frustrating challenge. And I can’t count how many times my jaw would drop after I’d finally get to the end of a difficult level, and the game would show me the time it took to get through that level, only to find it only took like two minutes or
    That was fun, I can’t wait to never play it again.

    Seriously though, people weren’t joking about this game’s difficulty. It’s a rough and often frustrating challenge. And I can’t count how many times my jaw would drop after I’d finally get to the end of a difficult level, and the game would show me the time it took to get through that level, only to find it only took like two minutes or less. This game is so frantic and stressful it makes you feel like you’ve been playing for an hour after ten minutes.

    I only have one major complaint, and it’s that sometimes taking damage or dying really does feel cheap. Most of the time, when you take damage or die, it’s immediately apparent what you should’ve done differently or that your reflexes simply weren’t quick enough, but sometimes, the screen will be so chaotic and cluttered that I’ll die and have no idea what I could’ve done to avoid taking damage, but that doesn’t happen so often that it tarnished the experience. This is a really fun and visually brilliant game.
    Expand
  9. Apr 20, 2019
    10
    My second favorite game is finally comming to my favorite console. Its a must have for all Switch owners. I bought this game for the 3rd time now. Everything about this game is fantastic. I hope that everyone gets this masterpiece.

    10/10
  10. May 18, 2019
    9
    Absolutely amazing from the art style to the gameplay. Definitely worth 20$
  11. Apr 21, 2019
    10
    Lo probé por primera vez en PC, pero para mi gusto, la versión paraSwitch es la definitiva. La oportunidad de jugarlo en modo portatil y multiplayer sin accesorios demás, con la misma calidad que en las otras versiones no tiene comparación. Con mi novia lo compramos de lanzamiento en la switch, y llevamos horas riendo, peleando y divirtiendonos con este jueguito, gracias a los amigos deLo probé por primera vez en PC, pero para mi gusto, la versión paraSwitch es la definitiva. La oportunidad de jugarlo en modo portatil y multiplayer sin accesorios demás, con la misma calidad que en las otras versiones no tiene comparación. Con mi novia lo compramos de lanzamiento en la switch, y llevamos horas riendo, peleando y divirtiendonos con este jueguito, gracias a los amigos de microsoft por compartirlo. Hablando ya del juego, las mecánicas clásicas de un juego de este género con un toque de dificultad que se agradece, te invita a superarte a ti mismo, memorizar patrones, adaptarte a los imprevistos y ejecutar todo sin fallos para lograr superar el nivel, te lleva de viaje a la buena epoca de los videojuegos. Finalmente, en apartado gráfico es increible, realmente se disfruta cada fotograma animado, cada personaje, fondo e ilustración esta animado a la perfección y junto a la música, te hace vivir nuevamente los comienzos de la animación.
    Si te gustan los desafios, 100% recomendado.
    Expand
  12. May 6, 2019
    10
    Great animation. Gameplay, music, and overall you can see the enormous quantity of effort and pasion the developers put in this product
  13. Apr 23, 2019
    10
    Un must have ! Un portage parfait sans concession, identique à la version originale. Le jeu est beau, fluide, et d'une difficulté bien relevée. Bref, vous en aurez pour votre argent ! Bien entendu, il n'est pas recommandée pour les personnes sans expérience ;-)
  14. May 7, 2019
    8
    Any gamer looking for a challenge can't go wrong with purchasing Cuphead. Difficult boss fights and animations that pay perfect homage to old cartoons are the heart and soul of this game. Honestly, I would have been disappointed if it didn't take me over 200 deaths to complete this game.
  15. Apr 30, 2019
    8
    The bosses are memorable, and require you to learn their attacks. The art style is pretty appealing. Just all around fun. Can't wait for the DLC.
  16. Apr 26, 2019
    9
    Cuphead is a beautiful throwback to a time much simpler then today. The graphics being hand drawn are a wonderful edition with the 1930's filter adding that homemade touch. over all if you want to play a great game that's only 20 dollars and will give you hours of enjoyment, look no further than cuphead on the switch!
  17. May 2, 2019
    9
    TBH this is my first time touching this game and i gotta say it's hard and really adictive. characters are **** awesome, the old cartoon atmosphere is perfect, so colorful, very good fluid gameplay and the MUSIC is simply PHENOMENAL ... The Switch version is amazing. Just one tip, for better experience use the pro controller because play with the joycons is sometimes awful when you'reTBH this is my first time touching this game and i gotta say it's hard and really adictive. characters are **** awesome, the old cartoon atmosphere is perfect, so colorful, very good fluid gameplay and the MUSIC is simply PHENOMENAL ... The Switch version is amazing. Just one tip, for better experience use the pro controller because play with the joycons is sometimes awful when you're fighting the bosses !!! Expand
  18. May 23, 2019
    8
    Cuphead's aesthetic is nothing short of truly wonderful. The gameplay is good but heavily favors playing with a partner, as going it alone will send even seasoned gamers into volcanic bouts of rage at its near-absurd unforgiving level of difficulty.
  19. Aug 9, 2019
    8
    I haven't words to say about it. This games turns back the cartoon style with a challenger gameplay.
    I cant remember when the last time that I saw something like that. In fact, CupHead has a style did with whim. The
    only issue's the game itself is too much little....so, you needed a few hours to complete it.

    08/10
  20. Jun 28, 2019
    8
    It's great that Cuphead is on the Nintendo Switch and I pity for Playstation users who are missing the fun, that's if they own a PC. Playing this game anywhere, anytime is the feature I've always wanted and the Switch did that role by enabling me to play through portability. I played it for a couple of hours in my own time and outside of my campus. Animations are so great and there'sIt's great that Cuphead is on the Nintendo Switch and I pity for Playstation users who are missing the fun, that's if they own a PC. Playing this game anywhere, anytime is the feature I've always wanted and the Switch did that role by enabling me to play through portability. I played it for a couple of hours in my own time and outside of my campus. Animations are so great and there's nothing different to what you would find in the Xbox or PC when playing Cuphead. Expand
  21. Jun 1, 2019
    9
    Un juego super divertido, ame cada minuto q he disfrutado con el, juegos como estos son los q deberían jugar todo el mundo.
  22. May 16, 2019
    10
    Easy 10 for me. I love this game. I got it alongside Divinity Original Sin 2 & I was just going to play Cuphead on the road, but this game is too much fun. I’m playing it with my little brother a second time to see how well we do against bosses.

    If you’re the kind of person who wants an easy experience there’s a simple difficulty, but you can’t progress in the game because you need
    Easy 10 for me. I love this game. I got it alongside Divinity Original Sin 2 & I was just going to play Cuphead on the road, but this game is too much fun. I’m playing it with my little brother a second time to see how well we do against bosses.

    If you’re the kind of person who wants an easy experience there’s a simple difficulty, but you can’t progress in the game because you need contracts to go forth, which can only be earned in regular battles.

    If you don’t like to be challenged, this game isn’t for you to buy and whine about how the game should let you progress on easy mode. If you like challenges, buy this ASAP.
    Expand
  23. Jun 21, 2019
    9
    Amazing third person shooter
    Very artistic, bealtifull graphics
    Perfect gameplay fot 1p, for 2 is a litllte bit confunsing
    But i loved
  24. Jun 11, 2019
    10
    Giving a 10 straight ahead! I love platformers and a good challenge. Cuphead is a perfect mix.
  25. May 18, 2019
    9
    Really nice graphics, great gameplay, and just the right amount of challenge. If you appreciate an adventure and gameplay that makes you feel accomplished with every victory, this is a must.
  26. Jun 19, 2019
    9
    Es un juego muy bueno, me gustan mucho las dinámicas y todos los escenarios que se presentan. Tiene un nivel de dificultad muy bueno, aunque con facilidad te puede hacer enfadar jaja. Excelente juego.
  27. Aug 30, 2019
    9
    lo jugue primero en la pc y ahora lo juego nuevamente en la switch, recomendado, ah y por cierto los que dicen que este juego es "dificil" uff se nota que no saben de videojuegos, tiene su dificultad, si, es solo un reto mas no un gran desafió, se puede superar.
  28. Jul 17, 2019
    10
    This game launched at $20.00 and is worth every single penny of its purchase price. The game is challenging however it will make you a better gamer overall and it genuinely fun to play. The art style is genuinely incredible as well as the soundtrack.
  29. Jul 9, 2019
    9
    I have4haven't beaten the game yet but I freaking enjoy playing this with my brothers and we have a blast like sure we die a lot but yet that somehow that just makes it more fun.
  30. May 17, 2019
    9
    It seems like after a weak start, this year is looking great. Cuphead is one of the best indie games I have played alongside celeste and undertale, with a compelling story, masterful gameplay, and an innovative artstyle, this game rises above the competition in almost every conceivable way. It does have a controlling issue, but other than that, I can easily say this is possibly one of theIt seems like after a weak start, this year is looking great. Cuphead is one of the best indie games I have played alongside celeste and undertale, with a compelling story, masterful gameplay, and an innovative artstyle, this game rises above the competition in almost every conceivable way. It does have a controlling issue, but other than that, I can easily say this is possibly one of the best indie games on the switch. Expand
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 40
  2. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 27, 2020
    95
    Cuphead is such a masterclass in style and control that the few errant ink blots vanish in a Technicolor wonderland! [Issue #40 – July/August 2019, p. 30]
  2. May 21, 2019
    90
    Visually stunning and difficult in all the right ways, Cuphead is a testament to the importance of thought out game design. Every facet of the run and gun parts is built around giving the audience an experience unique to the videogame medium. Although this borrows quite heavily from a very specific era of animation history, its aesthetic goes beyond homage, coupling masterfully with gameplay that encourages mastery on every level. With some of the best designed boss fights this generation, a beautifully rich animation style, and impeccably fine-tuned controls, Cuphead stands out as not only one of the best indie titles on the Nintendo Switch, but one of strongest releases this generation, period.
  3. May 13, 2019
    91
    That Studio MDHR were able to make an aesthetic that’s nearly a century old seem fresh and new at the same time as they made an enjoyable game is just a bonus.