Cuphead

Cuphead looks like a lost cartoon from the 1930s and plays like a merciless shooter. The title hero, whose head is shaped like a mug, loses a bet with the devil and has to collect debts from an entire gallery of debtors in his place, which in practice means one boss fight after another. Most of the game takes place in these very encounters: each boss has several phases, changes shape and attack patterns, and defeating them takes a combination of patience, good memory, and precise reactions. Between fights, the game intersperses classic run-and-gun levels that serve both as a breather and as a source of currency for buying new weapons and abilities.

The gameplay rests on simple but well-tuned foundations. You shoot in eight directions, dash, glide through the air, and parry pink-colored objects to charge your special attack. The choice of weapons and so-called charms then significantly changes your approach to individual bosses, so even after several failures you have ways to tackle the fight differently. The difficulty is high, but attempts are short and the game always drops you right back at the start of the encounter, which keeps you wanting to try again.

Technically, it's an extraordinary piece of work. The animations are hand-drawn, the backgrounds painted in watercolor, and the whole picture is finished off with subtle grain and slight flicker that mimic old film stock. On PC, the game runs smoothly, supports high resolutions, and offers local co-op for two players. The music is live-recorded jazz and big band, which fits the visuals perfectly and contributes decisively to the sense that you're watching an animated cartoon come to life. Cuphead was praised after release primarily for its audiovisual execution and became one of the most distinctive independent titles of its time. The expansion The Delicious Last Course later added a new character and further bosses. Today the game is just as impressive as ever and remains a mandatory stop for anyone who enjoys demanding fights. For less experienced players, there's an easier difficulty setting, which, however, won't let you finish the story — a fitting reminder that this title is meant to be played the hard way.