It's an 8.5 for me, but I can't give it 4.5 stars so a 4 it is. Sorry Cuphead.
What can I say about Cuphead that hasn't been said for the umpteenth time. I'm supremely late to the party, but I got there in the end and yes - this game is (mostly) deserving of all the praise. Impeccable visuals and music, although that goes without saying. 90% of the reason Cuphead became so successful is because of its art style that replicates the old-timey animated shorts of the 1930s. It's an incredibly distinctive aesthetic, and to adopt it for a video game is genius. Every frame is visual candy. The animation is astonishing. You really can't help but admire it. And the core gameplay itself is almost on a par.
Here's the thing - Cuphead can be a tad unfair. There's nothing wrong with a game priding itself on challenge, as long as it's fair. But Cuphead can be cheap at times, which leads to bouts of frustration. Sometimes an enemy or projectile will appear out of nowhere without any warning whatsoever, and your only mistake as the player was that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes, as with the Medusa boss fight for instance, how well you fare can come down to dumb luck. That's hardly ideal in a game that's all about precision and skill.
But I don't want to linger on the negatives too much. Cuphead is great, when it isn't making me tear my hair out. A game that places so much emphasis on its presentation AND still manages to control well deserves all the credit.
What can I say about Cuphead that hasn't been said for the umpteenth time. I'm supremely late to the party, but I got there in the end and yes - this game is (mostly) deserving of all the praise. Impeccable visuals and music, although that goes without saying. 90% of the reason Cuphead became so successful is because of its art style that replicates the old-timey animated shorts of the 1930s. It's an incredibly distinctive aesthetic, and to adopt it for a video game is genius. Every frame is visual candy. The animation is astonishing. You really can't help but admire it. And the core gameplay itself is almost on a par.
Here's the thing - Cuphead can be a tad unfair. There's nothing wrong with a game priding itself on challenge, as long as it's fair. But Cuphead can be cheap at times, which leads to bouts of frustration. Sometimes an enemy or projectile will appear out of nowhere without any warning whatsoever, and your only mistake as the player was that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes, as with the Medusa boss fight for instance, how well you fare can come down to dumb luck. That's hardly ideal in a game that's all about precision and skill.
But I don't want to linger on the negatives too much. Cuphead is great, when it isn't making me tear my hair out. A game that places so much emphasis on its presentation AND still manages to control well deserves all the credit.