Is it possible to give a game less than a five when it does what it's trying to do so well? The 30s artistic direction, the gameplay and the sound design are so well done that asking if it could be better is a reasonable question to ask.
As someone who enjoys animation a lot, i'm stunned by its visual quality. I'm almost ashamed I got used to it and stopped looking to closely to its animation. Every level is a gem in terms of technique, to think everything was drawn by hand makes it even better. It reproduces perfectly the 30s style that was taken as a source of inspiration.
In terms of gameplay, it's equally perfect. All the levels are challenging (some more or less than the others) but they're all fair too. They're fun, well-balanced and varied.
It's a game that rewards the learning process with increased skill. Beating a boss is really exciting and feels rewarding. Loosing is a just a step towards victory. That's what a challenging game should be.
I took a 2 years break between it's first half and it's last half and i'm glad that's the kind of game that allows these kinds of breaks. I got bored by the format but I knew i'd eventually go back to it (which I did last week). I still thought about it a lot during the break because it became an important reference and I know it's even more the case now. I'll probably come back to play all the bosses in expert mode (a difficulty that not only makes the bosses harder, but also adds new stages, it should be pointed out!) and the DLC. I'm glad to have a game like this, with which I'll have some memorable rendezvous from times to times.
If someone asked me to list my ten favorite games (a question i'll never be able to answer), Cuphead wouldn't appear there. Maybe not even is my twenty favorite games ever list.
However it's a game that changed my way to play, that does perfectly everything it does and that will ever be an important reference in my gaming life!
That's more than enough to give it the highest grade.
As someone who enjoys animation a lot, i'm stunned by its visual quality. I'm almost ashamed I got used to it and stopped looking to closely to its animation. Every level is a gem in terms of technique, to think everything was drawn by hand makes it even better. It reproduces perfectly the 30s style that was taken as a source of inspiration.
In terms of gameplay, it's equally perfect. All the levels are challenging (some more or less than the others) but they're all fair too. They're fun, well-balanced and varied.
It's a game that rewards the learning process with increased skill. Beating a boss is really exciting and feels rewarding. Loosing is a just a step towards victory. That's what a challenging game should be.
I took a 2 years break between it's first half and it's last half and i'm glad that's the kind of game that allows these kinds of breaks. I got bored by the format but I knew i'd eventually go back to it (which I did last week). I still thought about it a lot during the break because it became an important reference and I know it's even more the case now. I'll probably come back to play all the bosses in expert mode (a difficulty that not only makes the bosses harder, but also adds new stages, it should be pointed out!) and the DLC. I'm glad to have a game like this, with which I'll have some memorable rendezvous from times to times.
If someone asked me to list my ten favorite games (a question i'll never be able to answer), Cuphead wouldn't appear there. Maybe not even is my twenty favorite games ever list.
However it's a game that changed my way to play, that does perfectly everything it does and that will ever be an important reference in my gaming life!
That's more than enough to give it the highest grade.