Anthropomorphic beverage vessels demonstrate what Faustian FromSoft would look like if they made 2D platformers. With the obligatory “Dark Souls of” reference out of the way (yes I had to sneak that tired old thing in there and I’m not making any apologies), let me address another anachronism: the music. This OST could make Gillespie dizzy. Energetic jazz set to the pace of a mad boss rush and cartoony run and gun stages is positively diabolical. If being iconic is being immediately recognizable, then Cuphead is already an icon, hand-drawn no less, not just among indies but in all of gaming. The Delicious Last Course DLC only sweetens the deal with Studio MDHR’s Devil. This rapidly became one of my favorite modern platformers and it’s likely to stay that way for a while. I do not give out high marks in the 9/10 range very often!
Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.
