Cuphead

At last, the day that he much anticipated Cuphead released came to pass. After being delayed from its original 2016 release time frame, the game came out in late September 2017 as my most desired game of the year. I can also say as of this point, Cuphead is also the front runner for my game of the year. This opinion comes from the amazing visuals, tight controls, and well designed bosses and levels as well as the feeling of tough but fair run and gun/bullet hell shooting game play.

My Cuphead Play Through Playlist

It has to be said, this may be the best looking game that I have ever played. I'm not sure if that is even a hyperbolic statement at this point even though it clearly sounds like one when said out loud. The fact that every object, every character, every frame was hand drawn and digitally scanned gives an understandable reason why this game took so long to make. The little bits of scratching and film grain overlaid and the color bleeding is only further proof of the developer's commitment to the 1930's cartoon visual art style. Cuphead is a Joy to behold from start to finish.

Make no mistake, the game play in Cuphead is tough, as nails. There are no check points and no health pick ups. This game is about Trial and error, pattern memorization and reflexes, grunt and shear determination. The game features and over world from which you select levels and interact with various N.P.C.s along the way. Cuphead is mostly about fighting well designed and complex bosses. There are a hand full of run and gun stages that provide coins from which various charms and weapons can be purchased but they are few and far in between. It is necessary to change one's weapons and approach to facing the game's many challenges (a lesson I had to learn the hard way as a 3 hour boss battle with a certain dragon proved).

The game's difficulty would be too much to bear were it not for the perfect controls that Cuphead features. Once the button layout is configured to your liking (almost a requirement) the game controls as solidly as anyone could expect. You have a "Dash" and a "Parry" button (anything in the game that is pink can be parried off of) as well as buttons for "Jump", "Shoot", "Change Weapons", and a "Lock" button that plants you in place for 8 way directional shooting. There is also an "EX" button which uses meter that generates as you land hits that gives you an extra powerful attack which varies depending on which weapon you have equipped at the time. When pressed with a full meter, this unleashes a "Super" which is earned from completing special parrying based stages.

I very much enjoyed playing through Cuphead for the Xbox One even as it took me many tries to beat most of its bosses and levels. For me a hallmark of a worth while game is how much frustration I can bear and yet still want to play it regardless. At no point in my play through of Cuphead did I even think about quitting or giving up no matter how long it took to beat a boss. The Visuals were just too good, the controls to perfect, and there was always the sense that my dying was my fault and that just one more try could be the time I beat it. At this point Cuphead is very likely my Game of 2017.