The new DLC for Cuphead, amusingly called “The Delicious Last Course“, is coming out and, considering how much I enjoyed the original game, I’m very excited. However, Cuphead has become a surprisingly large series with many aspects that I wasn’t even aware of prior to writing this article and, given my excitement for the DLC, I thought it would be interesting to provide an overview of this unusual franchise.
Of course, we have to start where it all began, the original game. Released on the 29th of September, 2017, and developed by Studio MDHR which is a company set up by brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, the game proved to be an instant critical and commercial success and has sold 6 million copies as of 2020. Cuphead is a run and gun game about Cuphead and Mugman who end up having to work for the Devil in order to pay back their debts. This consists of fighting various debtors to the Devil and getting their soul contracts while also doing some platforming levels as well. The game’s graphics resemble a 1930s cartoon and makes use of Jazz and Big Band music as well. I really enjoyed Cuphead when it came out originally in 2017 and enjoyed the challenge that it offered as well.
As far as I was concerned, this game and the DLC that was announced in 2018 was what made up the franchise. However, I was quite surprised to see Cuphead grow into various other media. Easily one of the more notable is The Cuphead Show! which was announced in 2019 and came out this year. The Cuphead Show! is being released on Netflix and retains the old-style visuals and characters while changing from a story of combat to a comedy misadventure series.
Additionally, a board game called “Cuphead: Fast Rolling Dice Game” was released in 2021 and tries to replicate the combat against the bosses from the video game. You pick from four characters, Cuphead, Mugman, Ms. Chalice or Elder Kettle, and then you fight through eight bosses by rolling dice. The game allows for 1-4 players and is apparently a decent adaptation of the source material.
The most surprising revelations to me came when I learned of the existence of Cuphead novels! These currently consist of two entries, Cuphead in Carnival Chaos: A Cuphead Novel and Cuphead in A Mountain of Trouble: A Cuphead Novel which were both released in 2020. Considering how audiovisual-centric Cuphead is, I was quite surprised to see these novels. There is also a two volume graphic novel series called Cuphead: Comic Capers & Curios and Cuphead: Cartoon Chronicles & Calamities which were released in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
It’s truly amazing how this game has become a surprisingly large franchise across a number of mediums, something that, as much as I enjoy the game, I considered to be quite unlikely. Let me know your thoughts on my overview of the unusual Cuphead franchise, what you think of the game, whether you’re excited about Delicious Last Course, what you think of the show, board game or books and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.