Cuphead Guide#

Cuphead is a classic side-scrolling run-and-gun action game from the Canadian indie studio Studio MDHR, first released on September 29, 2017 for Xbox One and Windows. It is famous for its one-of-a-kind hand-drawn animation in the 1930s Fleischer cartoon style: every character, background, and animation is drawn by hand, faithfully recapturing the golden-age look of early rubber-hose cartoons. The soundtrack draws on period jazz, big band, and ragtime, and every sound effect was recorded with real instruments, creating a deeply immersive vintage experience.

Genre and Core Gameplay#

The game fuses two core modes: run-and-gun and boss rush. You play as Cuphead or Mugman, taking on a lineup of wildly varied bosses across the Inkwell Isles, fighting through dangerous run-and-gun stages, and collecting coins to buy weapons and items in the shop. Local two-player co-op lets two players fight side by side and share resources — but it also raises the difficulty of every fight.

Difficulty and Challenges#

Cuphead is famous for being hard, but that does not mean it is unfair. Every boss follows learnable attack patterns, and each fight moves through multiple phases, each bringing brand-new attacks and visual changes. The game offers three difficulty settings: Simple, Regular, and Expert. Simple shows only the first two phases of each fight, and no contract is awarded after beating a boss. Regular is the complete experience and awards the contract on victory. Expert is built for players chasing the ultimate challenge: bosses attack faster and their bullet patterns are denser.

DLC: The Delicious Last Course#

On June 30, 2022, Studio MDHR released the long-awaited DLC The Delicious Last Course. It adds a brand-new Inkwell Isle with five all-new bosses, a new playable character — Ms. Chalice — new weapons (Crack Shot, Converge, Twist-Up), new charms (Astral Cookie, Divine Relic), and a new graveyard challenge mode. Ms. Chalice has a unique double jump, roll dodge, and parry, bringing a whole new tactical dimension to the game.

The Inkwell Isles#

The game world is made up of several Inkwell Isles, each with its own visual theme and boss lineup. Isle One is pastoral, Isle Two is carnival-themed, Isle Three has an industrial-port look, and the DLC’s Isle Four goes for western wilderness and kitchen themes. Every isle map hides secret passages, hidden NPCs, and extra coins, encouraging you to explore every corner.

Animation and Art#

All of Cuphead’s animation is produced with traditional hand-drawn techniques, using watercolor backgrounds and hand-inked cel animation. Studio MDHR partnered with well-known Canadian animation studios to draw every character animation frame by frame. Every frame in the game was carefully designed to recapture the texture of 1930s cartoon shorts. The full game contains more than 500,000 frames of hand-drawn animation — every one of them a work of art.

Reception and Awards#

Cuphead earned unanimous critical acclaim after release and is celebrated as a milestone of the independent games scene. It holds an 86 Metascore on Metacritic and won multiple game-of-the-year honors, including Best Independent Game at Gamescom, Best Original Game at the Game Critics Awards, and Best Independent Game and Best Art Direction at The Game Awards 2017. Its hand-drawn animation style is widely regarded as one of the pinnacles of visual art in video games.

Weapons and Charms Quick Reference#

Weapon	Price	Type	Best scenario
Spread	4 coins	Close-range multi-shot	Point-blank burst damage
Chaser	4 coins	Auto-locking homing shots	Stable ranged output
Charge	6 coins	High single-shot damage	Stationary heavy hits
Roundabout	4 coins	Arcing trajectory	Piercing — hits multiple targets at once
Lobber	4 coins	Boomerang rounds	Attacks both above and below — suited to multi-directional barrages
Lightning Gun	3 coins	Chain lightning	Clearing minion groups — chain damage

Charm	Price	Effect	Best scenario
Smoke Bomb	3 coins	Fully invincible while dashing	The key to survival in Expert — dodge everything
Heart	3 coins	+1 HP	Beginners — raises the margin for error
Coffee	3 coins	Super meter fills automatically	Long slugfests — passively builds super energy
P. Sugar	2 coins	Automatically parries pink objects	Fights where parrying is hard to trigger
Astral Cookie	DLC	Transforms you into Ms. Chalice	DLC only — brand-new double jump and roll

Version History#

Version	Date	Highlights
1.0 launch	September 29, 2017	Full release — 19 bosses + run-and-gun stages + Inkwell Isles I-III
1.1 update	October 2017	Local co-op improvements — bug fixes
1.2 update	December 2017	Expert mode added — a higher-difficulty challenge
1.3 update	June 2018	Simplified Chinese support added
DLC The Delicious Last Course	June 30, 2022	New Inkwell Isle IV — 5 bosses — Ms. Chalice — new weapons and charms

Isle Boss Quick Reference#

Isle One#

Boss	Difficulty	Recommended weapon	Key phases	Parry chances
The Root Pack	★☆☆☆☆	Spread	3 forms take turns appearing	The onion’s tears can be parried
Goopy Le Grande	★★☆☆☆	Spread + Chaser	2 phases — blue blob → tombstone	Tombstone projectiles can be parried
Ribby and Croaks	★★★☆☆	Spread + Charge	2 phases — boxing → slot machine	Slot machine flames can be parried
Hilda Berg	★★★☆☆	Chaser + Spread	3 phases — airship → constellations → moon goddess	Star barrages can be parried
King Dice stages 1-3	★★☆☆☆	Chaser	Minigame-style challenges	Pink minions can be parried

Isle Two#

Boss	Difficulty	Recommended weapon	Key phases	Parry chances
The Little Devil	★★☆☆☆	Spread	2 phases — book → demon form	Skull barrages can be parried
Baroness Von Bon Bon	★★★☆☆	Roundabout + Lightning Gun	3 phases — candy soldiers → cake → giant lollipop	The candy soldiers’ pink attacks can be parried
Beppi the Clown	★★★★☆	Chaser + Spread	4 phases — roller coaster → balloons → ball toss → finale	Balloons and balls can be parried
Wally Warbles	★★★★☆	Charge + Roundabout	3 phases — birdcage → feather swarm → his bird son	Feather barrages can be parried

Run-and-Gun Coin Locations#

Level	Visible coins	Hidden coins	Total	Tip
Forest Trail	3	2	5	A hidden passage inside the tree hollow — jump into the canopy for the hidden coins
Funhouse	3	3	6	Coins hide on the floating platform above the rotating platforms
Mushroom Forest	2	3	5	Some mushrooms can be bounced off — spring up to grab the hidden coins
Sky Fortress	4	2	6	Balloon + parachute combo — control your descent speed to collect everything
Pirate Bay	3	2	5	Hidden coins sit atop the second ship’s mast
Industrial Furnace	3	3	6	Hidden coins in the alcove to the left of the rising elevator

FAQ#

Question	Answer
How hard is the game?	Fairly hard — bosses take repeated practice — but every attack pattern can be learned
Best beginner weapon combo?	Spread (main) + Chaser (secondary) + Smoke Bomb (charm) — the most versatile setup
How do I get more coins?	Hidden coins in run-and-gun stages + clearing the hidden graveyard challenges + collecting again on a second playthrough
How do I earn the P rank?	Clear a run-and-gun stage without killing a single enemy — you dodge the whole way through
What earns an S rank?	On Regular or Expert — finish with 3 HP remaining, high accuracy, and end the boss with a super art
Ms. Chalice vs Cuphead?	Chalice has a double jump, roll dodge, and built-in parry — more agile but takes some adjusting
Is the DLC worth it?	Absolutely — 5 superbly designed bosses, and Ms. Chalice changes how the game plays
How do I beat the graveyard challenges?	Parry every pink ghost within the time limit — not a single one can be missed; success pays out extra coins
Expert vs Regular?	Boss attacks are roughly 30% faster — bullet patterns get denser — some bosses gain new attack patterns

DLC Weapons and Charms Compared#

DLC weapon	Price	Type	Best scenario
Crack Shot	5 coins	—	—
Converge	5 coins	Focused laser beam	Long-range precision — suited to airborne targets
Twist-Up	5 coins	Arcing upward trajectory	Ground-hugging enemies — caught between above and below
Energy Homing	5 coins	Energy rounds that pierce all targets	Group clearing — a straight-line shot suited to static targets

DLC charm	Effect	Best pairing
Astral Cookie	Transforms you into Ms. Chalice — double jump + roll dodge + built-in parry	All high-difficulty bosses — a huge mobility boost
Divine Relic	Negates one barrage hit — triggers once per fight	Expert mode — a big boost to fault tolerance
Lucky Coin	Doubles coin gains — a must for run-and-gun stages	Full coin collection in run-and-gun stages

Boss Difficulty Ratings#

Difficulty tier	Boss count	Recommended for
★☆☆☆☆ Easy	3	A beginner warm-up — learn the basic controls
★★☆☆☆ Regular	5	A good entry point — adapt to attack patterns step by step
★★★☆☆ Medium	6	Needs practice — master dodge timing
★★★★☆ Hard	5	A veteran’s challenge — tests reaction and judgment
★★★★★ Extreme	3	The top challenge — for a perfect clear

Expert Mode Essentials#

Point	Details
Smoke Bomb is the core	Full invincibility while dashing — dodging is the key to survival in Expert
Charge first	Charge has the highest single-shot damage — output per second is critical in Expert
More phases = more difficulty	Multi-phase bosses last longer in Expert — watch how each phase’s patterns change
Practice parry timing	Pink-object parry windows are tighter in Expert — predict them in advance
Ms. Chalice’s roll advantage	Her roll dodge carries invincibility frames — more reliable than Cuphead’s base dash

Main Weapons and Core Charms#

Main Weapons#

Weapon	Trait	Role
Shotgun	High close-range damage	Point-blank burst mainstay
Homing Gun	Auto-locks on targets	Stable ranged output
Machine Gun	High rate of fire	General use at any range
Charge Gun	High single-shot damage	Stationary output
Laser Gun	Piercing shots	Clearing elite mobs

Core Charms#

Charm	Effect	Rating
Coffee	Keeps building super energy	★★★★★
Twin Heart	Double jump + dash	★★★★
Heart Ring	Raises max HP	★★★★
Invincibility	Brief invincibility	★★★
Weston	Speeds up energy buildup	★★★

Difficulty and Rank System#

Grades run from C to S across five tiers, based on remaining HP when you clear, accuracy, and whether you finish the fight with a super art. S rank requires finishing with 3 HP remaining plus high accuracy. Expert mode raises the difficulty sharply and is the ultimate test for hardcore players. Run-and-gun stages also hide a P rank (Pacifist), which requires clearing the stage without killing a single enemy.

Hollow Knight — a hand-drawn 2D action platformer made with the same devotion to craft
Celeste — a precision 2D platformer about mastering patterns frame by frame
The Binding of Isaac — a top-down dodge-and-shoot game full of dense bullet patterns
Sekiro — boss fights built on memorizing attack patterns until they finally click
Hades — an isometric action game where boss mastery and quick dodging decide every run

Best Indie Games · Best Co-Op Games · Hardest Bosses

Full Guides#

In-depth sub-guides — beginner basics, the combat system, the full boss roster, weapons and secondary weapons, charms and items, super arts, collectibles, secrets, The Delicious Last Course DLC, and the world map and its levels — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Cuphead section.