This review is written with the reference of KONAMI's classical side scrolling run-n-gun shooter Contra released in 1987 (on NES platform, in Europe and other countries it was called Gryzor. Here's a video if you haven't heard of it before), as so many features and unique aspects of this game remind me of the classic Contra.

Note: The review is spoiler-free, written based on keyboard and singleplayer gameplay. Table below for quick check, scroll down further for detailed pros and cons. :)



Whoa ho ho! Cuphead.. I picked up this game the moment when I heard that it feels just like the classic Contra run-n-gun shooting. But in perfect 1930's Disney cartoon style!! Where else can you ever find another like this?!

So here I go, became cuphead boy dressed in red (or mugman in blue if you play local co-op with your partner), shooting magical droplets out of my bare fingertip, bashing in an "Alice in Wonderland" style cruel little damned island.

I used to stay up all night beating Contra with my dad when I just started primary school, this game for what it is, went immediately into my collection.

Where should I even start?! For a game developing team that's made of 3 people, after 3 years of development, they've really made sure that almost every aspect of the game, for its own genre, is done RIGHT.


The Pros

• Aesthetics: Its eye-catching retro, colorful cartoon style for this genre, makes this game in this apsect, one of its own kind. They decided to stick to the original 1930's Disney cartoon style, by using exactly the same technique used for Disney cartoons to create the entire Cuphead universe -- the result? You got the jaw-dropping, stunningly good-looking boss battle run-n-gun shooting game as it is!
  
  
• The run-n-gun levels, even if they were made after boss battles, still deliver what it should have: a smooth, intuitive and fast paced shooting experience, hell even the angry flowers have the similar AI pattern to dodge jumping from the cliff like those busboys in the classical Contra, for this type of genre, such detail really shows up how much they've dedicated in the game development to make it feels just right.
  
  
• The boss battle designs do NOT disappoint! Every single boss has their own unique attacks and patterns, making the whole boss battle experience feels so fresh and rewarding when you just want to beat up the previous so to see what the next boss looks like! Bosses taunt you, scorn you and tease you everytime you die, or even during the battle, makes your revenge victory even more rewarding!
  
  
• The character designs are what truly makes this game worth every penny and makes the whole game feels alive and vibrant: from the loading screen bouncy hour glass, to the angry flowers that chase you around and bosses, EVERYTHING is vividly alive, and having their own personalities: angry, sad, mad, mean, etc all shown up on their faces. Their FACES!
  
  Every enemy in Cuphead encourages you to just shoot-em-up without hesitation. This is how such genre of games should be!
  
  
• The in-game soundtrack is so much more important than one might think for this type of games: if it's bad or repetitive, it directly affects the battles and making the game unenjoyable FAST. This is also why this game is so good in this aspect because the music is SO GOOD!
  
  The cheerful jazz is so well composed, even if you die from the battle, you still feel you can do it next time, thanks to the soundtrack of the game. Similar to Contra who also has great background music that suits every stage of the fight, Cuphead inherited the good music tradition to be able to deliver a hardcore shoot-em-up in such classy and classical way!

The Cons

• Keyboard control, even if feels surprisingly smooth and intuitive for its own right, is not optimal for this game: no designated keys for corner-cutting aiming, which means you have to hold down 2 keys to do that in the game, for a fast-paced shoot-em-up like this? You can still do it, but might not be as good as using controller. At least to me.
  
  
• Loads of cursing and frustration, accompanied by re-playing the same level (if this is a huge downside to you and affects you a lot, don't buy the game).
  
  
• Lacking of online co-op.

>>>Update<<<

Here's something I almost forgot to mention:
For every game section in Cuphead, there are Two difficulty settings for you to choose from: Simple and Regular. By default, the game will always run on the Regular difficulty unless you select Simple otherwise. Simple mode excludes your ability to fight certain bosses whom you can access in Regular mode. So it's completely up to the player which difficulty they want to beat the game on..

Conclusion
For such quality of art design, character design and battle design, if you enjoy dying your way to perfection, this game is for you. You're prolly gonna die a lot, but if you don't mind such means to achieve faster reflex and having sense of great achievement in having perfect runs (even with your partner!), then go grab this game NOW.