#error code: mugman

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stumbled upon this clip on yt and oh my goD THERE'S SO MUCH TO PROCESS WITH THIS I-

• petty sibling fight aka the shit that fuels my soul

• Cuphead's outright aggression vs Mugman's smug uptight bs like fellas you're both dumb calm down

• THEY LITERALLY "NO U" EACH OTHER COME O N

•Elder Kettle picking them up by their handles when he separates them,,, beautiful detail

anyways have I mentioned how absolutely hyped I am for this show

like I hope these leaks aren't hurting it too much but tbh for me it's just making me want to see the final product even more!! one good thing for 2021!!!!!

[thechurchillreview]

Contains minor SPOILERS.

Cala Maria gif courtesy of @casioonaplasticbeach​.

The debut game of Studio MDHR is the completely hand drawn 1930s cartoon inspired Cuphead for the Xbox One and PC. Particularly the Fleischer Studios short starring Bimbo known as Swing You Sinners! (1930). For example, Cagney Carnation’s idle animation is one a ghost has in it. A later significant donnybrook borrows from that cartoon’s aesthetic and characters too. There’s visual grain filter and simulated 24 fps too! There’s a deliberate color inconsistency between Cuphead’s design and the hues for his victory screen: a commonality found with older cartoons. An Inkwell Isle II boss character speaks with a Porky Pig inspired stutter whilst possessing a moniker close to a famous animator’s (Grim Natwick). Natwick, in real life, spoke with a stutter, making a double reference to cartoon history. 

As a cartoon fanatic and a seeker of run and gun games, I had to check out Cuphead for sure! 

On Xbox One. 

My name is OrchardBlossom. 

Cuphead has been in development for seven years and is the final result of seven people animating it is beyond mind blowing. Their names are Chad Moldenhauser, Danielle Johnson, @jake-clark, Thomas “Smo” Smolenski, @habihanna, Joseph Coleman, and Tina Nawrocki. Take a bow y’all! *Throws roses, kisses, glitter, and confetti* 

Cuphead, is, as cliche as it sounds, a dream come true for me. 

The moment I tried the Sony Imagesoft (publisher) and Traveller’s Tales (developer) Sega Genesis game Mickey Mania in the early 90s, I’ve been relentlessly searching and totally craving another release that utilized hand drawn animation that pulls from classic cartoons. In it, Mickey Mouse can toss marbles at foes and his HP that’s represented by fingers on his glove is 5. The player goes from left to right avoiding by jumping over or trouncing adversaries. Mickey Mania’s opening level is the culturally and genre significant Steamboat Willie (1928) and a later one is a favorite of mine known as The Lonesome Ghosts (1937). Often I’d avoid enemies and not proceed so I could soak in the game’s distinctive visual aesthetic for a second longer. Similarly, I’d prolong a couple of clashes in Cuphead for that very same reason. Despite never winning against the final fight in that damned The Prince and the Pauper (1990) stage, that Mickey Mouse game still retains a special place in my heart. In fact, when taking a slight break from Cuphead I fired up my Sega to only lose against Captain Pete…Again. 

25% of Cuphead features run and gun stages that bring to mind Mega Man, Contra, Gunstar Heroes, Metal Slug, and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. Your introductory HP is 3 and can be higher if you sacrifice the strength of your weapons via purchased charms. Charms are bought using Coins found in levels and around the hub islands of Inkwell Isle.

With this currency, charms or weaponry can be bought at Porkrind’s Emporium. For instance, the Smoke Bomb Charm makes your dodge waaaay more efficient. The Coffee Charm is ideal for plane boss battles since you cannot make your Shrink dodge any better in them: this allows you to obtain Super Arts of powered up techniques faster. Cuphead’s basic projectile weapon is known as the Peashooter. The boomerang-like Roundabout is your best bet against most bosses if you’re adept at facing the opposite and firing it. Chaser is a weak homing weapon that’s perfect for boss battles that require both tricky and constant dodging (like the final phase of queen bee Rumor Honeybottoms). Experiment with your six firing weapon selections and find what’s the most comfortable for you though. Remember that Cuphead and Mugman can fire while ducking/moving and their firing angle can be adjusted. 

Likewise, in a plane, one can use the gun or bombs. I didn’t realize this until late in the game, ha ha! 

The remaining 75% of Cuphead consists of brimming with personality and creativity boss battles alongside some toe-tapping worthy jazz-infused tracks. Cuphead is a game that takes patience, analyzing patterns, learning to properly parry (leads to the capability of utilizing stronger weapon moves and Super Art techniques), knowing when to stop firing versus dodge some more, ducking, and changing your weapon set or Super Arts when necessary. Now, it is possible to hold down the fire button and switch between weapons on the fly. I personally found it overwhelming, an additional challenge of sorts, that made it increasingly harder to accurately concentrate during either run and gun stages and boss battles.

So, in Cuphead, you will die a lot. I guarantee it. I died 1111 times beating it on Normal mode alone. I didn’t give up nor go above 3 HP. It was immensely satisfying when I won against everything. 

But I feel this by design: the game’s mechanics are solid and each time I lost I didn’t blame Cuphead since everything is clear. Trial and error is in the game’s DNA. Controls aren’t an issue essentially. They’re quite responsive, so each failure unquestionably feels like my fault. If an attack or enemy isn’t pink, it cannot be parried, so it must be avoided or slain. The directions in which bosses bombard you don’t change at all (besides after a phase alteration where new moves are still very much broadcast)…The order isn’t consistent however. And my advice is to always stay on guard. Sometimes, the smartest attack is to wait though. 

Whenever you do lose, a progress bar is unveiled about how dismal or great your overall performance was. Along with a taunting quote from a boss. Like Wally Warbles, a Woody Woodpecker colored bird says, “Even without my feathers, you’re in for stormy weather!” Talk about adding insult to injury! This actually compelled me to keep going. I wasn’t deterred because I learned from my errors and mistiming mistakes until I won. I can defeat some of the initially seemingly impossible boss battles without taking a hit now. 

In short, Cuphead is tough yet fair in my eyes.

Alas where it falters most is the usage of two boys as our protagonists. I get that is supposed to be a homage to Mickey Mouse (with a hint of Felix the Cat?) and the long forgotten Oswald the Lucky Rabbit with each sporting said famous character’s colors/gloves. That’s cool I guess.

Still, not Cuphead and his sister? Because it isn’t like Betty Boop isn’t that famous or anything right? Or how about neither a guy or girl? They’re anthropomorphic characters with a cup and a mug for heads! Why solely men…?

Cuphead is a tale of owing a debt to the Devil through gambling. They are forced to collect soul contracts from the lives of others the Devil and Dice King’s casino have corrupted. Or lose their own lives instead as grisly punishment. The minimalist plot is conveyed through a excellently done storybook motif. I prefer Cuphead’s bro Mugman who told him to stop gaming when the Devil challenged him.

Mugman’s the one I never get to play as. XD

Yes, despite the game creators (Chad and Jared Moldenhaur, brothers) stating Cuphead wanted to avoided a damsel in distress narrative as the main one a.k.a. a retro concept that should stop being the norm. However, there’s a small juxtaposition between this and Cuphead writer Evan Skolnick. In Cuphead, women are unfortunately in short supply. The most prominent recurring one (Legendary Chalice) is literally trapped and has to be saved to unlock the powerful Super Art abilities located in the Inkwell Isle Mausoleums. I mean our introduction to her in the game is the word “HELP” with an exclamation mark for emphasis. Saving her grants you more useful Super Arts that assist in stage and boss fights, but aren’t necessary to beat the game. To achieve victory, the player must parry all of the spectral threats to release the straw-halo spirit from a repeated prison thrice times throughout the course of your journey. 

For some reason, a celebatory background statue of her can be seen in Rugged Ridge, suggesting her character was once one of considerable prominence in this game’s world (or storyline I suggest). My real query is why the Legendary Chalice has “legendary” in her name in the first place? So, why couldn’t she of been similar to a Great Fairy from the Legend of Zelda series then? As the protagonist Link, you locate the Great Fairy fountains and she gives you something for the effort. Or what if the Mausoleum parry challenges were meant to prove that Cuphead and Mugman are worthy to own the sacred Super Arts Legendary Chalice has in her possession?  

I sincerely wish her character’s background had been suitably expanded on. Like maybe she sees potential in them for completing the Mausoleums in Inkwell.  Perhaps her role in the game could of had more meaning? How it stands with Legendary Chalice simply plays into a classic video game trope I’ve always loathed. The damsel in distress the Moldenhauser bros tried to not use. 

Others women talk to you in the hub world or ask for assistance in some way. Like a fish fishing, for one! How wonderfully weird. Is she a cannibal by chance?

What remains are bosses. Ahem, how few there are that is, yeah. Out of twenty plus bosses only seven feature women with five being the actual focus.

The introduction to planes battle has Hilda Berg: an Olive Oly zeppelin that transforms into the constellations Taurus and Sagittarius (they are coded/drawn as men) during the fight. Another is a drunken martini glass that’s part of an alcoholic beverage trio you might contend with. The Domino mini-boss has two halves: the top is a hat and bow while the bottom is a skirt with that same bow serving as hers. This half has distinct lashes and red heels as well. There’s the Betty Boop sound effect laden Cala Maria, the gigantic mermaid seen in each trailer for the game’s release. Sally Stageplay is the most memorable for me with her battle taking place in a theatre with a live audience: it opens with a wedding and has her theatre husband in the background not contributing to the fight while trying to take care of a baby. There’s the aforementioned Rumor Honeybottoms, in an intense scenario which pushes you to your platforming and parrying limits. My favorite in terms of concept to execution is in the Inkwell Isle II level Sugarland Shimmy! She is called Baroness von Bon Bon. 

Here’s an intriguing fact: the singer for the seemingly masculine Cab Calloway influenced antagonist Dice King is sung by Alana Bridgewater (her vocals are fantastic!).

All in all, I recommend Cuphead. The indie darling is an equally exhilarating and addictive game with a superb soundtrack to boot! On top of that, Cuphead’s nods to video games and animation history are an impeccable fusion I couldn’t get enough of. Cuphead’s fun and challenge is raised with a friend on-board for the surreal worth taking ride. You can revive your teammate for a price (they return with 1 HP left and any subsequent revivals become increasingly harder to pull off) through parrying their ghost or taking HP (Like a thief…Blargh. ) from one another upon dying in boss battles or levels.

Oh, there is indeed a lower difficulty, but the developers will sadly not let you truly finish the game if you select it. Bosses lack entire phases and overall health. Locking content in this manner does disappoint and irk me for those that desire the full Cuphead experience. Especially for those that are already put off by the game’s difficulty curve as a whole from the get-go. Since part of Cuphead’s joy is seeing so much creative and stunning animation lovingly crafted on display. Listening to new music. Drinking in the atmosphere prior to being killed for the umpteenth time due to miscalculating a parry or boss attack. This is lost for those that choose Simple. *Sighs despondently*

As are the game’s wonderful secrets I won’t divulge here. 

On the other hand, folks should give Simple Mode a gander to check out lost animation Normal and Hard Mode doesn’t have. ;)

A PSA for those seeking an A rank on the Run and Gun stage Funfair Fever! Um, there’s a glitch in the game that won’t allow this achievement. Meaning, you have to conquer it with a P (Pacifist: only parrying, no shooting) rank as an alternative. I spent hours attempting to secure an A rank to no avail until I succeeded with the P rank I needed towards earning a game secret. This has just been patched.

My recommendation for Cuphead would be loftier if gender representation had been better and Simple Mode had encompassed all of the game. It doesn’t. You’re mocked by Dice King and that doesn’t seem right to me. No one deserves to be made fun of for playing something that is meant to be purely entertainment.

My feelings towards the red skinned turban wearing genie magician guy in the game bother me as well. Like he’s time period accurate and ultimately offensive. Should of done some in-depth research before posting this. :(

P.S. Dr. Kahl, is named after animator Milt Kahl, but modeled after Sonic’s Dr. Ivo Robotnik and Mega Man’s Dr. Wily. You’ve been warned. So many deaths were caused by him. So. Many. Losses. *Shudders*

[nazih-fares]

Back in the good old days, when I first experienced the world of videogames before making a living out of it, our life revolved around arcades in your local cities. We had to physically go to a place to play a game, on these relic wooden box which had its controls locked in it, and required coins to play the game with a set amount of tries and lives for your game’s hero. No checkpoints, no saves, and definitely no difficulty levels, but those were the greatest days, as you would learn from your mistake, and retry until you became better, instead of relying on modern ways to “cheat” like YouTube walkthrough and other similar forms of help. And so because of the evolution of gaming towards bringing everything closer to your home or pocket, consoles and handheld games have changed, and these ruthless game genre started disappearing from our modern days – if you don’t count remastered versions – but it seems like Studio MDHR’s Chad et Jared Moldenhauer were stubborn enough to revive the era’s famed gun ‘n run style with Cuphead.

Cuphead is the completely crazy bet of two brothers willing to risk everything they have, namely to restore the noble days of the run n’ gun genre, even if it meant to leave their jobs and mortgaging their homes. It’s almost as if the brothers even used their own story for the game, telling the tale of another duo, Cuphead and Mugman, forced to do the dirty work of being a debt collector muscled for a retro version of the devil.

In addition of being game from a genre somewhat fallen into disuse, Cuphead has distinguished itself above all by its unusual aesthetics. A true declaration of love to the cartoons of the thirties, the game has an artistic direction that will swoon you with joy. The moment you start the game, you’ll understand the influence that guided the Moldenhauer brothers throughout their seven years of development to polish this little jewel. From the early beginnings of the Disney animations like Steamboat Willie to the work of Fleischer Studios (Betty Boop and Popeye for example), the caustic and two-way aesthetics of these iconic cartoon can be seen in each character or boss confronted in Cuphead.

But even the best looking game in the world would be garbage if the gameplay isn’t on par with the quality aesthetic. And when one tackles a genre as precise and demanding as the run n’ gun, there’s no room for error. Fortunately for you, Cuphead has the gameplay precision of a Swiss-made watch, on top of being insanely fun, even If the game has long been presented as a boss rush title. Studio MDHR eventually took into account comments from fans, and gave us some more traditional levels as well on top of the boss fights, reminding us of games like Contra, Gunstar Heroes or even the Metal Slug Series.

So in the end, you will experience a rather tense gameplay, where you will quickly tame the overall maneuverability, in the most effective way you can to not die quickly. In addition to the shooting mechanics – which Cuphead or Mughead do by finger snapping – you’ll can quickly equip yourself with a secondary weapon, plus a dash, and a jump that can potentially be doubled thanks to a parrying system.

If each confrontation is in itself a full-fledged challenge that could quickly make you lose your mind, the recap page that appears after each victory will differentiate the wannabes from the run n’ gun veterans. The victory is always enjoyable no matter what, but it is only a first step into getting that perfect score, as you need to account for the time, remaining lives and other gauges that will add certain challenges (to a game that already doesn’t lack any).

Initially ruthless, Cuphead is old-school in both design and the way to teach you to get better. Victory is mostly only possible through repetition. The impatient player will be the last to recommend this game, because anger management is clearly part of the game. With bosses that have around three to five phase or forms to beat, ranging from vertical or horizontal shooting, Cuphead is no easy game. It’s so varied in terms of content and the differentiated approaches that you will never get bored for a single moment. The question is whether you are able to immediately restart a run after dying for the tenth time with the boss having a slither of life left in him.

Besides the bonuses and other secondary weapons to equip, the addition of playing with a friend – with good reflexes – will make your life way easier. Although it makes the game higher its difficulty, the coop mode has a helpful feature: as long as one player remains alive, he can potentially revive his buddy by performing a Parry on his specter. Easier said than done, those revive attempts will mostly turn into drama, especially considering how much is going on the screen.

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If Cuphead remains in its great majority sublime to look at, certain levels or phases are a bit chaotic, at the risk of making too difficult to play. Fortunately, the input lag is nonexistent, but some hitboxes are not always precise, especially in the shoot’em up phases, makes us feel Cuphead reaching for perfection without truly reaching it.

Cuphead might be hard but fair, and thankfully the musical soundtrack of the game is one way to ease your stress after numerous tries. A great homage to the same era’s big band and swing style music, it pairs perfectly with the artistic style of the game. Composed by Kris Maddington, the tracks are a beautiful blend of jazz influenced by the likes of Gene Krupa to Duke Ellington.

Cuphead does not just pay tribute to the cartoons of the 1930s and the run and gun missing, it takes the best of both worlds to offer a delightfully retro experience in every sense of the word. Monstrously demanding, the game voluntarily chosen to reveal itself only by force of courage and abnegation. Yes, Cuphead is segmenting, but players looking for a tough challenge where victory is a deserved rescue will definitely take a monumental foot. Varied in its gameplay and levels, beautiful as a god on cellulo and enjoying a duet, Cuphead is an experience that deserves, in every sense of the word.

Cuphead was reviewed using an Xbox One downloadable code of the game provided by Studio MDHR and Xbox Gulf. The game is exclusive to Xbox One and PC in digital releases. We don’t discuss review scores with publishers or developers prior to the review being published.

Cuphead is the most beautiful 2D arcade shooter released in the past decade, and one hell of an exclusive for the Xbox One console. Studio MDHR might have delayed it numerous times, but the end results is full of flavour, ideas, variety and one of the best jazz composition I've heard in a long time. Back in the good old days, when I first experienced the world of videogames before making a living out of it, our life revolved around arcades in your local cities.

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surprise s/i motherfuck-

This is my Cuphead s/i, Mothball. Mothball made a drunken bet with the Devil, got their ass kicked sideways, and now lives in one of the ancient temples with all the spooky ghosts for protection against the debt collectors.

They met Cuphead and Mugman during one of their "adventures" in which they tried to raid the temple for the magic chalice inside. Long story short, Mothball had to convince the ghosts not to attack these two literal children and told them storied from the ancient inscriptions until they fell asleep and they had to carry the two home.

They're basically siblings at this point tbh

might make this my main sona design tbh I,,,, really like drawing them,,,,,

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rough start to a mini comic that I'm working on

no dialogue yet bc my handwriting is ass and I'm gonna digitize it later anyways

is it obvious that I'm fixating yet-

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🎫 here’s a gush pass ^^ feel free to gush about whichever f/o you want, however much you want, then send this ask to 3 other selfshippers💛

:Oc thank you!!!

HMMMM,,,, I haven't talked about my little brothers much have I

bro can I just say how much I want to protect these two dumbys with my life?? I recently found volume 1 of the Cuphead comic and I am living for it oh my god y'all are lucky I've been busy with work and doctor stuff because I have so much to say about these two

they are literally just kids??? stupid curious kids??? granted Mugman usually hogs the one brain cell that they share but honestly they're trying their best and any harm they cause is usually a result of them just not realizing that what they're doing is wrong

hell sometimes they do good things on accident!!! like in the comic Elder Kettle told them NOT to go to the graveyard at night because there could be dangerous ghosts there so of course Cuphead goes anyway and drags Mugman along for the ride and?? he actually helps his awkward dweeb brother come out of his shell a bit while also giving the ghosts someone to party with!!!

also can we just take a moment to acknowledge that Mugman canonically can't dance what an absolute dork I'm gonna bully him but gently because I don't wanna make him cry y'know

honestly there's so many edgelords out there calling these two sadists (ESPECIALLY MUGMAN which ???? look at him) and honestly to each their own theories I guess but I know that my brothers wouldn't actually hurt anyone at the end of the day,,,

okay maybe Cuphead would but like he doesn't just start fights for no reason y'know he's a good boy

sort of

tl;dr: these two kids are innocent and I will outright bonk anyone who says otherwise

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hey so um

*clears throat*

when were y'all planning on telling me that there's gonna be a Cuphead cartoon on Netflix in 2021

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AU where instead of collecting souls and eventually having to fight Satan himself just to stay alive, Cuphead and Mugman are saved from that whole ordeal because Mothball saw them going to the casino and dropped a verbal nuke on the Devil when they saw him about to cheat two children out of their souls