Cuphead: Difference between revisions
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The Moldernhauers described ''Cuphead'' as having a difficult, "retro game" core for its emphasis on gameplay over plot.<ref name="Joystiq: inspired"/> ''Kill Screen'' described the developers as "obsessed" with run and gun fundaments of "animations and exploits and [[hitbox]]es".<ref name="Kill Screen: trilogy"/> Their tweaks how gameplay actions feel at the edges of platforms and how long players are disabled after receiving damage.<ref name="Kill Screen: come from"/> They planned multiple [[difficulty levels]], and chose to abandon a typical 30s [[damsel in distress]] plot for one where Cuphead perpetually creates trouble for himself.<ref name="Joystiq: inspired"/> The developers planned to surpass the [[Guinness Book of World Records|Guinness world record]] for number of boss battles in a run and gun game by having over 30 to the record's 25.<ref name="Polygon: watch"/> |
The Moldernhauers described ''Cuphead'' as having a difficult, "retro game" core for its emphasis on gameplay over plot.<ref name="Joystiq: inspired"/> ''Kill Screen'' described the developers as "obsessed" with run and gun fundaments of "animations and exploits and [[hitbox]]es".<ref name="Kill Screen: trilogy"/> Their tweaks how gameplay actions feel at the edges of platforms and how long players are disabled after receiving damage.<ref name="Kill Screen: come from"/> They planned multiple [[difficulty levels]], and chose to abandon a typical 30s [[damsel in distress]] plot for one where Cuphead perpetually creates trouble for himself.<ref name="Joystiq: inspired"/> The developers planned to surpass the [[Guinness Book of World Records|Guinness world record]] for number of boss battles in a run and gun game by having over 30 to the record's 25.<ref name="Polygon: watch"/> |
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Though the game was shown during the Xbox press event of [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] 2014 to audience approval, ''Cuphead'' was not available to play. The game's art was estimated to be 40 percent complete as of July 2014. ''Cuphead'' is expected to be extended via [[expansion pack]]s<ref name="Kill Screen: trilogy"/> with 10 to 15 bosses each,<ref name="Polygon: watch"/> similar to how ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' added atop the ''Sonic'' series formula.<ref name="Kill Screen: trilogy"/> ''Cuphead'' is scheduled for a |
Though the game was shown during the Xbox press event of [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] 2014 to audience approval, ''Cuphead'' was not available to play. The game's art was estimated to be 40 percent complete as of July 2014. ''Cuphead'' is expected to be extended via [[expansion pack]]s<ref name="Kill Screen: trilogy"/> with 10 to 15 bosses each,<ref name="Polygon: watch"/> similar to how ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' added atop the ''Sonic'' series formula.<ref name="Kill Screen: trilogy"/> ''Cuphead'' is scheduled for a 2016 release on [[Xbox One]] and [[Steam (software)|Steam]] for [[Microsoft Windows]] PC.<ref name="Polygon: trilogy"/> |
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== Reception == |
== Reception == |
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Revision as of 17:27, 15 June 2015
| Cuphead | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Studio MDHR |
| Publisher(s) | Studio MDHR |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One |
| Release | 2016 |
| Genre(s) | Run and gun |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, two-player cooperative |
Cuphead is a run and gun indie video game by the Canadian brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer as Studio MDHR, drawn in the style of 1930s cartoons. As Cuphead, the player fights a series of bosses to repay a debt to the devil. The game was inspired by the works of 1930s cartoonists such as Max Fleischer's Fleischer Studios and sought to keep the works' subversive and surrealist qualities. Cuphead is scheduled for release in 2016 on Xbox consoles.
Gameplay
Cuphead is a run and gun game. As the titular Cuphead, the player loses a bet with the devil and spends the game attempting to repay the bet. The game features a branching level sequence[1] and is based around continuous boss fights.[2] Cuphead has infinite lives and keeps weapons between deaths.[1] The levels are accessible through an action RPG-style world map with its own secret areas.[2] The game has a two-player cooperative mode that adds another human player to the single-player boss battles playing as Mugman.[3]
Development
Cuphead is the first game by Studio MDHR, a indie game development studio consisting of brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer.[1] Its development began in 2010, and they worked on the game from their respective homes in Toronto and Saskatchewan.[2] The game was inspired by 1930s cartoons such as that of Fleischer Studios, Disney, and cartoonists Ub Iwerks, Grim Natwick, and Willard Bowsky,[1] particularly their most "subversive and surrealist" elements.[4] Chad Moldenhauer called Fleischer Studios "the magnetic north of his art style".[4] Kill Screen described Max Fleischer's studio (run with his two brothers) as having "transportive, transformative, and massively fucked up" short films, such as "Swing You Sinners!"[4]
The Moldenhauers watched 30s cartoons in their youth, which Chad Moldenhauer describes as happenstance, based on gifts and VHS compilations. Among other siblings in their Regina, Saskatchewan childhood home, the two shared aesthetic taste and interest in gameplay. They attempted a game in the style of Cuphead in 2000, but lacked the tools to continue. The brothers decided to try again following the success of indie video game Super Meat Boy in 2010. The character that became Cuphead descended from a 1936 Japanese propaganda animated film where a man with a teacup for a head morphs into a tank. The Moldenhauer emulated the animation because they found it strange, and "right away it stuck".[4] The brothers had previously tried a kappa in a tophat, characters with a plate or fork for a head, and about 150 different designs.[4]
The animation techniques behind Cuphead are similar to that of the 1930s cartoons.[4] Chad Moldenhauer, who had previously worked in graphic design, would hand-draw the animations and paint the backgrounds. He colorized the characters in Photoshop—their sole change from the 1930s process. He also saw his process with its human imperfections as a reaction to the perfectionism of pixel art and, hence, a reimagining of retro games. His brother, Jared Moldenhauer, worked on other aspects of the game, though they would discuss gameplay design together. Their studio hired a Romanian developer, Brooklyn animator, and Ontario jazz musician for the project. They sought to keep the recording processes of the 1930s as if the team were developing in that era.[4]
The Moldernhauers described Cuphead as having a difficult, "retro game" core for its emphasis on gameplay over plot.[1] Kill Screen described the developers as "obsessed" with run and gun fundaments of "animations and exploits and hitboxes".[2] Their tweaks how gameplay actions feel at the edges of platforms and how long players are disabled after receiving damage.[4] They planned multiple difficulty levels, and chose to abandon a typical 30s damsel in distress plot for one where Cuphead perpetually creates trouble for himself.[1] The developers planned to surpass the Guinness world record for number of boss battles in a run and gun game by having over 30 to the record's 25.[3]
Though the game was shown during the Xbox press event of Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014 to audience approval, Cuphead was not available to play. The game's art was estimated to be 40 percent complete as of July 2014. Cuphead is expected to be extended via expansion packs[2] with 10 to 15 bosses each,[3] similar to how Sonic & Knuckles added atop the Sonic series formula.[2] Cuphead is scheduled for a 2016 release on Xbox One and Steam for Microsoft Windows PC.[5]
Reception
Ben Kuchera of Polygon wrote that Cuphead was one of the five most interesting reveals at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, even though he knew little about the game apart from its aesthetic. He said it "stood out immediately" and that everyone in the website's press room viscerally reacted to the trailer.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Suszek, Mike (January 4, 2014). "1930s cartoon-inspired Cuphead targeting late 2014 on PC". Joystiq. AOL Tech. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f Purdom, Clayton (July 3, 2014). "Cuphead is roughly 40% done, but hey, it's gonna be a trilogy". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Pitcher, Jenna (June 9, 2014). "Cuphead is a game. Watch it, view it". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Purdom, Clayton (July 14, 2014). "Where Did Cuphead Come From?". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (July 4, 2014). "Cartoon-inspired Cuphead is going to be a trilogy". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Kuchera, Ben (June 9, 2014). "Five of the most interesting reveals of the Xbox press conference". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
