When Cuphead first came out, it was often described by fans and critics as the Dark Souls of Shoot ‘Em Ups, it became famous for a plethora of things. The animation, soundtrack, and the notoriously difficult boss fights. The game played relatively simply, you went from Boss to Boss with the occasional Run & Gun levels in between that rewarded you with coins you could use to buy upgrades and power-ups. A simple premise in a beautifully complex and detailed game.
Five years after its initial release, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course adds a new island, a number of new bosses, abilities and even a new playable character. And I was lucky enough to play through this DLC ahead of its release. So what’s my verdict on The Delicious Last Course? Strap yourself in cause this game took me on an emotional rollercoaster that reminded me that I do indeed have anger issues.
Am I just bad or is the game unfair?
As per usual Cuphead infamy, The Delicious Last Course doesn’t hold back when it comes to its difficulty. There’s no learning curve, there’s no real opportunity to gradually become better at the game. You’re thrown into the deep end and if you start to drown, that’s all on you. The game doesn’t hold your hand, if anything it stands on edge of the pool, pointing and laughing at you as you plead for a scrap of mercy. If anything, it might shout: ‘Spin three times!’ to give you a few extra lives but even that’s short-lived.
But the worst part of it all? You can’t throw your hands back and blame the controller, your failure is entirely your own fault. Each boss follows a pattern and structure that rarely changes, whether it’s a specific move that throws obstacles across the screen or sends items that home in on your position, stopping you from staying in one place too long, every single boss can be read and scrutinized. As often as I encountered those dread words ‘YOU DIED’, I still got back up again. I would spend hours trying to figure this boss out, get angrier and angrier with them, only to then put the controller down, go to bed for the night, play in the morning and suddenly beat them on my first try. I had slept off that rage, my brain had sorted out and organized all the information I’d assimilated and then it was smooth sailings from there.
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course a Lesson in Getting Back Up
Take the first boss I both fought and beat – albeit after six hours of playing – the Mountain Gnome. I had managed to figure out the boss’s patterns, for the most part, I learned the sound cues, just how long I could stay in one spot, to watch out and take down stray gnomes that would shoot projectiles at me. And yet, one particular move that sent smoke bombs at me, for some reason I just couldn’t quite figure it out. My hand-eye coordination just wasn’t good enough to dodge the smoke clouds before they hit me. And when you’re hit, that’s it – there is no mercy of forgiveness in these games. With 3HP (unless you’re using different perks), and most bosses having multiple phases, it often means if you lose two HP before the second phase has even started, you’re done for.
And while I was getting so frustrated and annoyed, I was never getting annoyed at the game. Because it was entirely my own skill – or lack thereof – that was causing my multiple losses. Eventually, I was getting so annoyed with myself at my repeated losses that when I finally beat the boss I’d spent hours trying to beat, I didn’t feel a swell of satisfaction and an overwhelming sense of victory. Instead, I just sighed, feeling relieved that it was over. It’s one of the few complaints I have about the game, that it became such a repetitive ordeal that defeating a boss I’d spent hours on never gave me that surge of pride or satisfaction, I’d simply take a moment to breathe and move on. I think that’s likely because you don’t get a prize for beating a boss other than a tick on your to-do list to progress the story.
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course: An Artistic Masterpiece
It is, however, unarguable that Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course isn’t a work of art. It’s games like these that really remind people that video games are works of art. Even whilst I was ripping my hair out in frustration over the game, I would still be in awe at the amount of work and detail that went into the game. I was always excited to see what the next stage in a boss fight would look like, a small detail I always loved was the transition animations between these phases. This might be because it was also one of the few moments I could catch my breath without worrying about dying, so I could fully appreciate the animation.
I particularly adored the Doggone Dogfight, where once you beat stage one and two, you move to stage three where the giant robotic Weinerdog Plane holds the camera in place, tightening your play area but adding a certain depth and memorability to the level, and when you think it can’t look any better, the stage gets flipped to the side, mirrored. I had no time to get upset or frustrated at the game’s intended attempt to discombobulate me, I was just so impressed by how it looked and that it had genuinely caught me off guard. Or when you defeat the Ice Wizard’s Snowman and the level transitions up into the sky as you jump from moving snow pies all the while avoiding his projectiles.
This is what Cuphead is known for, the amount of work that’s put into it. Particularly the visuals, no wonder it took nearly five years to make and it truly looks flawless. As a fan of the classic rubber-hose animation style, it’s one of the things that softened the many blows of defeat. At least it was nice to look at!
To err is Mugman
Although the game – like its base game – offers you a ‘Simple’ mode for the bosses, this doesn’t actually progress the story and is more like a trial run. Whilst the game does want to challenge you and encourages you to win, I often found myself wishing I could have just been allowed my ‘Simple’ victories. I actually found myself having more fun when playing the bosses on their simple mode, I wasn’t being thrown into the deep end, but rather it remained challenging but when I won, I actually felt happy. Because after a few rounds of Simple, I would eventually win, unlike the Regular mode where I’d spend literal hours grinding away trying to get a win.
I think one of my biggest problems with the Regular modes is that it can be very overstimulating. There are a lot of sounds, especially if you’re trying to listen for certain cues, but also you need to keep an eye out on literally every pixel of the screen to avoid being hit by wayward projectiles. It became nearly impossible to not make mistakes, I am only human after all. I just wish there was the option to progress the story using the Simple mode, but that’s just because I know I’m not as good as other players. I already know some people who enjoy the challenge will adore The Delicious Last Course and the many new elements added to it, and they won’t have nearly as much difficulty with it as I did.
Short and Sweet
Much like the Dessert theme to the whole DLC, the Last Course is the cherry on top of the whole game. It adds a number of new and fun bosses, as well as some great new additional abilities, and I, can’t not sing all my praises for the addition of Chalice, the new playable character. Chalice has a number of abilities neither Cuphead nor Mugman have, including a double jump, a parry-dash, and invulnerability roll. All of these things only made me wish these abilities were default for Cuphead and Mugman because I found myself having more fun and pulling off a series of moves that made me look around me in that ‘did anyone see that’ way.
But even more, the DLC felt like the perfect length for this extra content. And being able to go back to old bosses with Chalice added a new level of depth to it which helped me even beat a few bosses I hadn’t previously beaten because of her brilliant abilities. Chalice is a brilliant addition to the game and I worry people might see her as ‘easy-mode’ because of her passive abilities but I’m of the opinion her abilities honestly should have been a default from the very start.
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course: A Welcome Change
Perhaps my favorite change in The Last Course is the alternative to the typical Run & Gun levels from the base game. These were levels in between bosses that you could play to earn coins, they were complex and played like a platforming shoot ‘em up. But these often ended up being highly difficult and frustrating. However, in The Last Course, there are a number of levels themed around a little parry-based challenge. All the bosses are themed around Chess and upon completion of the challenge, the King rewards you with coins. Each of these little challenges were levels I actually really enjoyed and looked forward to playing.
Better Together
As with the base game, I found that playing multiplayer with a second player taking on the mantle of either Cuphead or Mugman made it all the more fun. Being able to revive a dead player by parrying their souls was a Godsend and helped win a few fights. And Chalice’s dash parry made it all the easier to stay in the game. Honestly, the game feels as though it needs to be played with two players to truly be appreciated, especially with the addition of Chalice.
Despite the true fury I felt when playing on my own, it became a lot more fun and endearing when playing with another, I felt as though the game was less trialing and when we both beat a boss together, there was a communal sense of victory. Even more when one of us had died and it was up to one of the others to get that final blow. At which point we burst into a fit of unbridled joy and ecstasy, celebrating each other’s combined teamwork and success.
Final Thoughts on Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course
Overall, what is the general consensus on The Last Course? Brilliant. It is a fantastic game that might have had me tearing my heart out in frustration, but it’s the most fun I’ve had whilst slowly descending into an unbridled fit of rage. I am fully and completely aware that my many losses and my desire for more leniency are personal problems that stem from my own lack of luck and skill. That being said, I still think some of the bosses in The Last Course are a little too unforgiving. And although I often reached a moment where I told myself ‘I can do this,’ there is one boss that I simply couldn’t get the hang of.
All minute and subjective complaints aside, this game is phenomenal and if you loved Cuphead then this is a must-have. It’s just an extension of the base game, all the while adding new and delicious content that generally improves everything. The Delicious Last Course is a fantastic work of art by a team of highly skilled artists and developers, I cannot praise the team behind Cuphead more than I already have. And if you’re the type who enjoys a challenge and doesn’t have the hot-headed temper I do, you will enjoy this flawless game. Fun anecdote, this is one of the few games I have ever played that’s made me switch between multiple languages just to swear in, and that’s a fun accomplishment.
