When spinning fireballs and blades start swirling in your direction, your first instinct is going to be to jump out of their path, but this can often get you into more trouble than it’s worth - especially against later bosses launching several attacks at once. If you’re struggling with timing your parries, stay in the tutorial section for a bit and just get the rhythm down - there is a small window in which it works, and committing it to muscle memory will save you a lot of grief in the long run. For quickly avoiding larger enemies, this is invaluable, and it’s required for defeating bosses later in the game. Not only will parrying projectiles (anything pink) help charge up your “super” abilities, but it will also destroy whatever is parried and cause you to launch into the air. What might be even more important than mastering Cuphead’s attacks and dodges, however, is mastering his parry ability. Fire his standard weapon, and see how long it takes to defeat a small enemy. Learn the rhythm of the bosses, but more importantly, note just how far and high Cuphead can jump, and how his dash can be used to avoid obstacles. Instead, take your time on the first few stages. This means that he has more of a light and loopy feel when jumping than you see in the Mario games, and it can take some time to adjust to this when you are fighting an enormous boss or jumping from obstacle to obstacle. Take time to master the controlsĬuphead is inspired heavily by classic Mickey Mouse cartoons, which featured slightly more emotive movements than we see in cartoons or video games today.
Our Cuphead guide has the tips and tricks you need to set you on the road to mastering the game.
But what appears to be an insurmountable task can be made much more manageable if you learn the fundamentals of the game and make use of a few strategies. Comprising mostly multi-stage boss fights, the game’s trial-and-error gameplay forces you to learn from your past mistakes if you want to make it further into the game, and it’s one of the hardest games we played this generation. StudioMDHR’s Cupheadis a remarkably well-made 2D shooter, blending the run-and-gun gameplay of classics like Metal Slug and Mega Man with visuals inspired by classic, 1930s animation.