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March 28, 2024, 09:36:00 PM

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Cuphead

Started by Moribunderast, September 30, 2017, 11:16:11 AM

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Moribunderast

This is a game I've been looking forward to for quite some time. It's a side-scrolling run-and-gun thing which usually isn't my genre but just look at the art style:



So from that you can glean that it's concept is built around very old cartoons and in terms of delivering on that concept it is a masterpiece. The animations are astounding, the character designs fun and the soundtrack is exceptional. I haven't been as blown away by a game's unique look and atmosphere since Thumper (which, granted, was only last year but I consider it one of the better games of the decade.)

Unfortunately for me, like Thumper, this game is BASTARD hard. I'm okay at platformers but not great - same goes for bullet-hell and this ties in both to make for some incredibly difficult boss battles. I've just gotten to World 2 (of 3) and I'm already wondering if I'll be able to beat any of the fuckers I've been confronted with. That's on me, though. It rarely feels unfair. There are occasional moments where the hit detection seems iffy but they are very rare and, for the most part, when I die I understand why it's happened. That's not to say it hasn't caused me to swear very loudly. And yet I keep coming back, despite frustration, because the game world is gorgeous and it DOES feel fair. The boss battles (which are the core of the game) have multiple phases but you do feel a bit more hopeful with each death as you begin to pick up on the patterns and devise strategies. I'd perhaps like an "easy" mode that auto-saved after each phase but I can see why it's not there. The boss battles I've encountered aren't actually that long - usually between 1-3 minutes. It's just that, like Thumper, they feel intense and take all your concentration while you're in it. I've finished levels and felt mentally exhausted only to see that the level lasted 100 seconds. To be fair, some of the exhaustion probably comes from the umpteen times I've died before finally defeating a boss.

My only real complaint is that the gameplay and control layout cause me pain. You effectively have to be always holding down the X button (square for Playstation-minded people) to shoot while constantly jumping and dashing with other buttons. The position this contorts your wrist into is not really healthy, especially for a game you're going to get hooked into playing for fairly long sittings. I'd have almost preferred if they just made it so you were automatically shooting and you just had to aim. Might feel better on the arm, which is hurting a bit as I type this.

Anyway, has anyone else picked this up? Thoughts? If I can get a little further it'll probably be my game of the year. I think it's one that many people have had an eye on for ages and most seem to think it's exceeded expectations. I've put nearly five hours into it on Day One which is a testament to how addictive the thing is.

biggytitbo

I'll probably pick this up although I'm not a fan of really hard games. Its arguably the best looking game ever made, absolutely jaw-dropping.

SavageHedgehog

As a huge fan of Vintage Animation (and a pretty big fan of Platform games) I think this is the first game not based on a pre-existing property I've really wanted in about 15 years.

Barry Admin

I watched it on a stream for a bit lat night. I'd always imagined it would be a platformer. Also, £17 seems like a lot of money, I could pick up Resident Evil 7 for that. I really want it for the jazz music and period detail, but I just don't know.

Moribunderast

Quote from: Barry Admin on September 30, 2017, 11:40:39 AM
I watched it on a stream for a bit lat night. I'd always imagined it would be a platformer. Also, £17 seems like a lot of money, I could pick up Resident Evil 7 for that. I really want it for the jazz music and period detail, but I just don't know.

I think the price is fine. It was 20 Australian dollars which is about average for a good indie game over here - I definitely paid more for RE7 but that was another game I got on first-day. I think that and Cuphead are the only two I've done that for in years and both have repaid the faith.

Depending on your game-playing skillz and/or readiness to push on through frustration, it seems like it'll be a game that will give most 10+ hours which is a good length for that price. I'm the kind of player who just breathes a sigh of relief once a boss is done and is unlikely to return to it but for the more obsessive gamers you can go back and try to get better scores and there's apparently an extra difficulty level upon completion. Though fucked if I'd be having a crack at that!

Barry Admin

I do love really, really hard games... hmm. Might have another look at a stream here.

Thursday

Love the style, but this really doesn't look like it's for me, did also think it would be a more conventional 2d platformer. I can't quite put my finer on what exactly, but there's a specific set of reasons why a few hard games will work for me, but most others will completely turn me off, but this seems to firmly be in the camp of turnoff.

Moribunderast

Quote from: Moribunderast on September 30, 2017, 11:16:11 AM


My only real complaint is that the gameplay and control layout cause me pain. You effectively have to be always holding down the X button (square for Playstation-minded people) to shoot while constantly jumping and dashing with other buttons. The position this contorts your wrist into is not really healthy, especially for a game you're going to get hooked into playing for fairly long sittings. I'd have almost preferred if they just made it so you were automatically shooting and you just had to aim. Might feel better on the arm, which is hurting a bit as I type this.

Because I am an idiot I neglected the option to reconfigure the controls. I've just read of an alternate layout that someone is going with and it sounds faaar better on the hands - basically mapping the shooting button to the left trigger. I'm gonna give that a go and feel like an utter fool if the game suddenly becomes much easier for me.

Shay Chaise

Just seen some streams. This looks like easy mode to me, basically Kirby. I'm downloading it now and expect to have finished it by lunch, I'll probably finish it while I'm eating my lunch in fact. I'm having sushi and finger foods so I'll just play one handed.

Moribunderast

Quote from: Shay Chaise on September 30, 2017, 12:22:07 PM
Just seen some streams. This looks like easy mode to me, basically Kirby. I'm downloading it now and expect to have finished it by lunch, I'll probably finish it while I'm eating my lunch in fact. I'm having sushi and finger foods so I'll just play one handed.

Sounds like you already are! Hiyooooooooo #wankjokes #notallgamers

Shay Chaise

Just realised I should have said roast dinner or something. It's actually easier to play games if you can eat a meal with only one hand.

This looks absolutely amazing and I'm more excited by it now I know it's a shmup of sorts because I'm not that into platformers. Strange choice, though, to make it a brick hard bullet hell thing. It screams platformer!

biggytitbo

I thought it was a hybrid of shooter and platformer, that was one of the reasons it took so long as they went and reworked a load of platforming elements into it.

madhair60

This game is fucking great fun.

Barry Admin

I caved, I needed a treat. Soundtrack is wonderful, I haven't ventured beyond the tutorial yet.

I'm using these controls I found on Polygon, and they seem dead on:

A — Jump
X — Shoot
Right bumper — Lock
Right trigger — Ex Shot
Left bumper — Dash
Left trigger — Switch Weapon

No right stick or analog controls, so I might try my arcade stick.

madhair60

I'd switch the bumpers and triggers but otherwise yeah good shout on the controls. The defaults keep killing me because I try to EX by hitting the dash button.

Barry Admin

I dunno, I'm usually a fan of having dash on the left bumper, and jump on the left one, although that's not needed here. I've got my arcade stick plugged in now anyway, so just another hour or two of agonising over the best setup for that, and away we go!

madhair60

I ended up using the exact layout you posted actually, bumpers and all. I've made it to world 2 and beaten one of the bosses there so far. It's a big step up in difficulty but the creativity hasn't faltered.

Moribunderast

I'm still very much stuck in World 2, unable to beat a boss. I'm not sure if I've encountered a glitch or just a quirk in the Sugarland Shimmy level. I can get to the final phase of the boss just fine and then can get quite a few licks in but when I inevitably die, the screen at the end is showing as if I haven't hit the final enemy at all. Kind of at a loss with what to do as I checked a walkthrough and it advises to do exactly as I've been doing but without the visual feedback of that post-death "progress" screen I've no idea if I can actually win the fight or if there's something wrong.

The Genie/Djinn level is absolutely astounding. I think this is a game that really benefits from streams because while you're playing you're going to miss some of the beauty due to focusing on every move. You can get an even deeper appreciation just watching someone else going at it and taking in all the animations. It really is sublime.

Barry Admin

Quote from: biggytitbo on September 30, 2017, 01:10:42 PM
I thought it was a hybrid of shooter and platformer, that was one of the reasons it took so long as they went and reworked a load of platforming elements into it.

Yep, you're right. The platforming sections seem quite challenging too, with some pickups placed in such a way as to fuck you up. It's cool, I'm enjoying it so far - just things like the explosion animations are wicked. And there is soooooo much character in the enemies I've seen so far. It plays and feels a lot better than I anticipated.

Consignia

It does look amazing, I'd get it in a heart beat if it wasn't Xbox exclusive. The visual style looks absolutely beautiful.

Thursday

The PC specs for it aren't that high. Although I guess it looks like something you really will need to run very well.

Barry Admin

I'm looking forward to getting wired into this again today. It really is brutal. It has brutalised me.

I generally always have CNN or some other LIBERAL BULLSHIT going on an old tablet in the background while I play games, but find that a moments distraction in this is a killer, plus I love listening to the music and sound effects anyway. They have done a really remarkable job.

I'm really intrigued to find out what other types of levels there are, and to go through them again with new pickups.

This just fits in so well with my recent foray back into the world of arcade games.

Have I mentioned that it's brutal? It is fucking brutal.

Barry Admin

The only thing this needs is a reset button, like in fighting game labs where you can just hit select to get an immediate reset. It's like Trials, in that you'll usually just reset if you take a hit too early on.

I looked at the options menu and really like that you can't turn off the film grain and stuff. It really is in integral part of what makes this feel and look such a joy. It transports me back to around 1990, when I walked into Virgin Megastores and played Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion on the Mega Drives they had set up. Right then and there I had to have one.

I'm happy also just to have this running in the background as I fuck about on here or make tea and play with Jelly, because the music is SO MOTHER-FUCKING GREAT.

biggytitbo

Fuck me im so bad at this, but it's still amazing.

hewantstolurkatad

Quote from: Shay Chaise on September 30, 2017, 12:39:03 PMStrange choice, though, to make it a brick hard bullet hell thing. It screams platformer!
I feel like most people assumed that purely because it was the kind of thing that could coast on its aesthetics and there's a tendency for those to be platformers. In terms of what kind of gameplay actually suits those manic rubber hose animation styles, a shmup is pretty perfect


What's this one like RE: hardware requirements?

biggytitbo

Runs perfect at 1080p on intel iris graphics ^^


I've got past one boss so far and have nearly managed the first run n gun platforming stage. As a big non fan of bosses in games I really wish the game was all the latter, but apperently it's about 75% bosses and 25% platform, which is a shame.

Barry Admin

Some of the platform stages are just nightmarish. I think Treetop Trouble has broken me. I get right to the end, finally, and then the game goes "hahah fuck you!"

Are people playing on regular or simple? I'm sticking with regular, but I figure it'd be much easier to bang through on simple, get charms and stuff, then tackle regular.

madhair60

Regular here. Got one boss left in the second world.

biggytitbo

Simple here, and it's still a bit hard, I think I'm close to finishing the first run and gun level, and done a couple of the bosses. I'm probably not going to finish this game though, I'm just not a fan of boss battles even when they look as good as this. If it was all run and gun I'd probably persevere.

Shay Chaise

I played Contra 3 on the SNES yesterday and I was amazed at how similar, no, identical, Cuphead feels. Even the controls are exactly - exactly - the same. That's a good thing.