Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course Review
Ali Hasan July 6, 2022
Cuphead managed to capture the hearts of millions when it was first launched in 2017. Since then it has gone on to amass a loyal following, due to its distinct 1930s cartoon aesthetic, high difficulty, and unique boss design. Several accolades and an animated TV show later, the grand finale of the game has arrived.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course manages to wrap the game up nicely, bringing with it new bosses, locations, and a new playable character in a package that far exceeds the original game. New elements and an exquisite soundtrack deliver the most satisfying Cuphead experience to date.
Ms. Chalice enters the fold
Introduced initially as a minor character (who you could later use as a special move) Ms. Chalice has been made a fully playable character in the delicious last course. She can be used if either Cuphead or Mugman equips the astral cookie. (a new charm introduced in the DLC)
Whereas Cuphead and Mugman played similarly Ms. Chalice has a few new abilities that inject some much-needed freshness to the combat. For starters, she can double which can be extremely handy in sticky situations in addition to providing new gameplay opportunities.
Ms. Chalice also has increased health. She can take four hits instead of three before being eliminated. Additionally, her Art II gives her an additional hit point for a total of five. I personally found playing as her to be super fun, often times I’d struggle but there were other times where boss fights were much easier.
Ms. Chalice is a worthy addition to Cuphead, bringing with her unique gameplay opportunities and a revised combat system. She isn’t as exhausting as Cuphead or Mugman and for people looking for an easier experience in the game playing as Ms. Chalice will be the way to go.
Boss Fights
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course features six main boss fights. Each boss fight is unique and challenging in its own way. In many ways, The Delicious Last Course represents the culmination of Studio MDHR’s work because the expansion has by far the most well-designed and most visually striking boss battles yet.
The studio definitely prioritized quality over quantity. Compared to the base game’s 28 main bosses the DLC features just 6. Each boss fight features an extreme amount of detail and the animation work is just sublime.
The roughly six-hour DLC contains as much unique animation work as the main game and it shows. Boss fights are extremely detailed. The way characters move and interact is incredible.
There is a lot going on with every boss. Having to move constantly while dealing with projectiles and other small nuisances keeps you on your toes. Every small misstep pushes you to do better and that is what ultimately makes this game so incredibly fun.
Each boss features at least three phases so it will take some time for the average gamer to master and eventually beat them. It certainly took me a few tries to defeat all bosses.
The final boss battle in particular stood out to me. I won’t be into story spoilers but the way the combat flowed along with the ending (there is more than one ending based on your choice) was just the perfect ending to an incredible game.
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Weapons and Charms
The Delicious Last Course features a plethora of new weapons and charms that help make things a bit easier. The astral cookie charm lets you play as Ms. Chalice which certainly tips the scales in your favor as the new protagonist is a lot easier to handle but the break in difficulty does not come without its tradeoffs.
When playing as Ms. Chalice you are unable to equip any other charms. This does help balance the game out a bit more and prevents her from being a “crutch” character.
Other charm includes the heart ring charm which rewards you with extra HP on a few successful parries. The broken relic can be activated through puzzles and does not have any apparent effects. The heart ring charm is definitely a go-to for players who are good at parrying, I found myself gravitating towards it simply because if anything it guarantees a few extra hit points which can be crucial in defeating a boss.
As far as weapons are concerned, The Delicious Last Course introduces a few new ones. My personal favorite was the crack shot which is a homing missile that breaks up and attacks the nearest hit boxes amidst all the chaos and frantic dodging it can certainly help you avoid losing out on precious hit points.
Verdict
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is a worthy send-off to the iconic game. Building on what made the base game so great studio MDHR delivers a near-faultless product that will have players tantalized for years to come.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is now available on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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