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While far from anything unusual or new (this is basically a boss-focused Contra / Mega Man clone, and it also has nothing to do with Dark Souls whatsoever), Cuphead still deserves credit for introducing the joys of NES-era gaming to a new generation of players.
The lush and colorful art style based on the old American cartoons probably needs no extra praise, but apart from that it is indeed a NES game through and through, dedicated to replicating the experience as a whole rather than cherry-picking only user-friendly mechanics.
With 3 HP, no checkpoints between boss stages, restricted shooting angles, and screen-filling enemy attacks that may or may not get barely dodgeable due to RNG, you might feel artificially limited rather than fairly challenged at times, but you’re also likely to feel satisfied and rewarded after every victory, or come back later to find how the practice paid off and it’s become so much easier. You might discover more control than the "git gud" formula initially suggests, too, with a collection of helpful charms and a varied selection of weapons that can cut down the difficulty in half when used right.
It's also a very gameplay-focused title that keeps cutscenes, conversations or pretty much any other interruptions to the bare minimum, just like it was during the NES days. The story is simple but concise and always on point, plus there are some charming NPC chats happening at the overworld map, yet every other minute is dedicated solely to pressing buttons. This makes it a very engaging, "raw" game, but also a very limited game in terms of worldbuilding or the characters.
The latter is particularly noticeable with the majority of bosses, who, despite being beautifully drawn and animated, possess no personalities and appear very detached from the world. Even Mega Man robot masters felt more integrated into the game, since they had stages designed after them and left you their personal weapons. These guys just appear out of nowhere with zero introduction and then disappear into nothing again once you beat them.
The only way the bosses try to show any character is by saying a unique line whenever you die; a sort of extra opportunity to roast the heroes for losing, which could’ve been a cool little touch if it wasn’t so forced. Really, I’m all for lame puns and silly dad jokes, but 90% of these are just plain unfunny, and half of those presented as rhymes don’t even rhyme properly. It seems like the developers decided they needed one quip per boss stage and then proceeded to squeeze it out despite the lack of writing experience. Or maybe they were trying to imitate the inspiration sources and their less-than-subtle type of humor, but I’d argue those old cartoons were still a level above in terms of jokes’ quality.
Even so, these are minor complaints compared to the exhilarating moments that Cuphead’s tight and challenging gameplay can deliver. Some levels can get really chaotic and overwhelming (especially in the DLC), but in retrospect this is also what makes them memorable. If you’re interested in a thoroughly old-school experience under a new coat of visuals or just want to familiarize yourself with another seminal indie release, this title is a worth a play.
Cuphead is red,
Mugman is blue.
This game’s rhyming sucks,
But I can still recommend it to you.