Cuphead – the ultimate in retro graphics

One of the best games at Gamescom is an Xbox One exclusive, but its stunning visuals having nothing to do with the Xbox One X…

The big news for Microsoft at Gamescom this week is the Xbox One X, with European fans getting their chance to play the new console for the first time. But as some have had occasion to point out, there is a surprising lack of any new games to take advantage of it; especially after Crackdown 3 was delayed into next year.

We have seen a number of games that look very impressive on Xbox One X, with the likes of Quantum Break, Rise Of The Tomb Raider, and Gears Of War 4 all enjoying a noticeable improvement in graphics. But while the best graphics we’ve seen this week are exclusive to Xbox (and PC), they don’t need an Xbox One X to run. In fact, a large part of the appeal behind Cuphead is just how old-fashioned it looks.



Forget retro 8-bit graphics, Cuphead goes back to the very dawn of animation for its inspiration. The whole game looks like a 1930s cartoon, which is arresting enough given how perfectly it captures the aesthetic, how smooth the animation is, and how bizarre the character designs are. But we’re relieved to find out that Cuphead is also a really good game.


There has been considerable confusion as to what exactly Cuphead is, with even the developer throwing around the term ‘boss rush’. But it’s not really that. Originally it was going to be composed of only boss battles, but they don’t happen in sequence, one after another, and are instead accessed from a Super Mario style overhead world where you can talk to other characters and visit an in-game shop.

Each boss becomes its own self-contained level, as you control one of the beverage-shaped protagonists who is equipped only with a simple repartee of jumps and dashes. By default you have two weapons that can be switched between at any time: a standard long range shot weapon and a much shorter range spread attack. The game supports local co-op (online is being planned for after launch) but even with another player at your side, who you can revive an infinite number of times, the odds are very much against.

In our interview below, artist and producer Maja Moldenhauer explains how the game’s primary influences are 2D action platformers such as Gunstar Heroes and Contra, which is immediately obvious once you start to play the game. We often joke about how bad American developers are at boss battles, but Cuphead is the game to end that stereotype once and for all. Each one is wonderfully unique in terms of both visual and gameplay, from a giant psychic carrot to a pair of boxing frogs, and a troop of sweet-based bad guys.

As Moldenhauer explains you can learn the tells before an enemy attacks, but their patterns are randomised so you can’t survive simply by memorise everything. There’s also at least one level where the game turns into a horizontally-scrolling shooter, with the one we tried having you fight a flying woman on a unicycle who keeps turning into characters of the Zodiac.

Cuphead – the best looking game at Gamescom

As twee as some of this may sound that’s not how it comes across in the game, thanks to the sinister visuals and the high difficulty. We were playing on ‘Simple’ mode (to make sure we saw as much as possible, honest) and despite being well experienced with the genre still found it very tough. Although we also found ourselves getting just that little bit further every time, which is always a sign of well-designed arcade game.



Cuphead also includes some 2D action platformer sections, which if anything are even harder. The first one, where you’re running and gunning in a forest full of evil flora is tricky enough but the second one we came across has you flipping between moving along the floor and running along the ceiling. The constant invention and firm but fair gameplay is reminiscent of the best of Treasure’s games (the developer of Gunstar Heroes, amongst others) and there’s no greater compliment we can give than that for a 2D actioner.

After years of waiting for the game to be released, Cuphead is finally out next month and looks to be just as good everyone hoped. It’s also proof that not only is gameplay always more important than graphics, but that impressive visuals don’t necessarily have anything to do with technological power.

Formats: Xbox One (previewed) and PC

Publisher: StudioMDHR

Developer: StudioMDHR

Release Date: 29th September 2017

GC: So what has your role been working on the game?

MM: I’m Maja Moldenhauer, I am with StudioMDHR. I’ve been with Cuphead since the beginning and I am the sole inking artist and a producer for the game.

GC: You inked it as well? Wow. So how many of you are there? Wasn’t it originally just two guys?

MM: So, when we first embarked on this journey it was only a team of the two creators – the two brothers – and the developer.

GC: Weren’t they twins or something? Am I remembering that right?


MM: Well, almost. They’re 15 months apart, so very close in age.

GC: That’s not close enough for psychic powers though.

MM: [laughs] I dunno, sometimes I wonder. [laughs] So, as you known, Cuphead is a run ‘n’ gun action platformer. The entire game is hand-drawn, with pencil on paper, and hand-inked as well, and…

GC: Woah, woah. Let’s dwell on that for a moment.

MM: [laughs]

GC: So there’s not a single polygon in the game?

MM: No.

GC: But… not even cartoons do that nowadays.

MM: Well, they used to! We drew inspiration from the cartoon aesthetic of the 1930s. And to capture that we really wanted to simulate exactly how they did it back in the day. They didn’t have computers or anything digital…

GC: So this is exactly how they would’ve done it? You could’ve made your own authentic cartoon short if you wanted?

MM: Yes! [laughs]

GC: But where did this idea come from? If I was an indie developer looking to make ends meet, a 2D shooter based on 1930s cartoons does not seem a sure fire bet.

MM: [laughs] Absolutely! No, you’re right. Looking forward, we wouldn’t be thinking we would be sitting here today with this demo. But looking backwards, we can connect the dots and see how we got here. But initially, as we embarked on this, gameplay-wise, we knew we wanted to make a game that was inspired by retro games of the late ’80s and early ’90s. So things like Gunstar Heroes, Mega Man, Contra. And then when we were working on the art we did try a couple of different styles and approaches, but what sang to us at the end of the day was what we grew up with.


GC: How did you grow up on those? You’re far too young!

MM: [laughs] Our parents bought them for us on VHS, and we watched them over and over. So, we loved it. Chad and Jared, and myself, are not classically trained. And it was all through trial and error.

GC: What?!

MM: It was a long journey. [laughs]

GC: How long have you been working on this?

MM: Since 2014.

GC: Okay… none of this makes any sense.

MM: [laughs]

Cuphead – state-of-the-art visuals from 1930

GC: I assume what attracted you is that the art style and aesthetic is really weird and creepy. And yet it’s hard to define exactly why. I mean… presumably they weren’t going for creepy when they were originally making them?

MM: In the very early 30s there was that creepy factor to the cartoons, and they would make some really eerie things. And then in the late 30s there was the Hayes Code, where they said, ‘Okay, in cartoons aimed at children you can’t have somebody rip somebody else’s head off’. So it’s actually like the earliest rating system.

GC: That’s very interesting, so they were actually trying to make them creepy? And then had to stop for the same reason as comics had to tone down the violence and horror?

MM: That’s right! There were no boundaries, no limits, no ratings, no councils. So the world was their oyster. We wanted to capture a snippet of that without… the part that we really wanted to capture was the rubber-hosing, so that surrealistic approach to animating where there were no boundaries.

The game is heavily focused on boss battles, and the reason for that is that with the bosses you could create a lot more character with them. You’re not just seeing them on screen for one second at a time. You have a lot of time to develop them, you have a lot of time to personify different objects… it was because it gave us creative freedom to be able to do whatever we wanted and not be constrained.

GC: The game was delayed a year or so ago, my understanding is that at that point it was purely about fighting bosses but now you’ve added in the Contra-esque platforming sections?

MM: Yes, so after we released our first E3 trailer, that’s when we partnered with Microsoft as a lifetime exclusive. 2015 was our first E3, where we did showcase some clips in a montage, and we were not expecting the reception we received at that time. And that’s when we realised: ‘OK, there are people who might be interested in this crazy adventure we’ve embarked on’. So at that point we decided: if we’re going to make a game we have one shot at it, let’s make it exactly what we had originally envisioned. And that’s when we went all in.

Originally it was eight to 10 bosses and a Mega Man style select screen. But we have nearly tripled the scope of bosses, so there’ll be around 28 or 29. Six platforming levels, an interactive overworld, a shop where you can buy weapons and charms. So a much more complete game, in keeping with our original vision.

GC: Okay, good. I had worried that the platform sections might end up feeling a little tacked on. So there’s what, one platforming level per overworld map?

MM: There will be two per world – four overworlds – and… the fourth overworld won’t have any. It’s kind of a big surprise, so I won’t go into too much detail. But the second one in both worlds is locked in this demo.

GC: Ah, okay. I was really enjoying the boss battles, and I could see how carefully designed they were. The only thing that concerns me is that the platform levels are very much in the DuckTales, NES era platform style.

MM: Yes.

GC: So they seem a lot more random and not quite as sculptured. I don’t know if you felt that was a kind of palette cleanser or…

MM: We wanted to capture a bit more of the bullet hell feel, where things are constantly coming at you to make you more reactive and prime you for the bosses. I think in a lot of modern games it’s more based on memorisation and following an exact path. With our algorithms they are randomised, so you can’t memorise what comes out of a boss first. It’s always going to be a different pattern.

GC: Oh, I didn’t realise that.

MM: Yes, so they will have set phases… do you recall which boss you played?

GC: I played them all, because I wouldn’t let anyone else on. But, err… the blue ball guy.

MM: [laughs] Oh, the slime. Okay. For him, for example, he will always start as a small slime, he will always expand to a large slime, and then he will always turn into a tombstone.

GC: Tombstone?

MM: Oh, so you maybe played on Simple?

GC: I did, yes. It wasn’t very simple.

MM: [laughs] There are couple of different modes. There’s Simple and Regular, and the Regular will add an additional phase to the boss. And he’ll have more health. So that will always be consistent, but his pattern in those phases will be randomised.

GC: That brings me onto the other obvious point: it’s a really hard game. And I say that as someone that knows and enjoys other 2D shooters. But even Simple mode was pretty difficult, are you not worried that’s going to be off-putting to more casual gamers?

MM: No, no. Hearing that makes us realise that we did our job. [laughs] Our intention was to make it a challenging game, for sure. However, we have incorporated many modern nods to make it fair. So it’s challenging but fair, in that we have multiple modes that you can select between. Progression is saved, so every time you sit down to play it you don’t have to start all over again – like you would have in those older games. You have infinite lives, and when playing in co-op you have the ability to revive your character and bring him back to life infinitely. There’s a steep learning curve, for sure, I think it’s mainly because we’re not seeing a lot of these types of games come out right now.

Cuphead – this level is really hard

GC: I’m going to get thrown out in a minute, but hang on… so you’ve never inked anything before this?

MM: No. Well, it was a hobby. I’ve always drawn my entire life, since I was child it was just a kind of side-hobby. But I went to university for biomedical science and physics.

GC: [laughs]

MM: [laughs] And then I worked in the banking industry.

GC: Good heavens. That’s intimidatingly accomplished.

MM: [laughs] 30 years from now, we didn’t want to sit there and say, ‘Coulda, shoulda, woulda’. We’re just gonna try it, see what happens, and go from there. [laughs]

GC: Have you found yourself more interested in the animation side of things now, after having gone through all this?

MM: Oh, absolutely. We all did. It wasn’t just a fluke that we say, ‘We were self-taught through the game!’ There were endless hours, weeks… truly a labour of love watching these cartoons over and over. Pausing on screens, studying the animation, studying how they would taper, studying the human errors and flaws.

GC: Did you talk to any experts?

MM: No, we read a lot of books. We kept Amazon in business with books, YouTube in business with how many times we re-watched videos.

GC: If I was an animation house I would hire you to make cartoons. Never mind video games.

MM: I have to give credit to… we have a very skilled animation team that we have scaled up to in order to realise this size of game and the amount of work that’s gone into it. They are classically trained, so we’re not all self-taught. We have a core team that is classically trained and they’re just fantastic. One of the things is that our company is… we don’t have a central office. Everybody works remotely, and the reason for that is it’s a dying art.

GC: It is, definitely. When you see high quality hand-drawn animation nowadays, in whatever form, it’s such a rarity. Well, yours is an extraordinary achievement, especially as it seems to be a really good game too!

MM: Well thank you! [laughs]

GC: Not at all, it’s been fascinating to talk to you.

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