I have played Cuphead for a week now, so I've decided to do a review on it.
STORY
The plot of Cuphead is simple but happily not a cliché. Cuphead and Mugman have wondered off into the Devil's casino. They soon find themselves on a winning streak. A newcomer, the Devil himself, comes in. He makes a deal with the boys. If they win, they get all the loot in the whole casino, but if they lose, they'll have to give up their souls! Cuphead goes for it, but loses. The boys beg and beg, and the Devil makes another deal. They have to get the "soul contracts" from others who escaped from the Devil.
GAMEPLAY
The way Cuphead and Mugman can get the soul contracts back is by defeating the bosses that have them. The game is mostly boss rush, with run n' gun segments thrown in. Cuphead can run, jump, shoot, and perry. The new perry mechanic involves pressing the jump button in mid-air when on a pink object.
In Cuphead, you can upgrade your character at shops.
After collecting coins found in the run n' gun levels, you can buy attacks or charms, attacks will give you a new projectile to shoot, while charms will add abilities to your character.
Boss fights are a big part of this game. The fights themselves are exactly what you would expect.
You must hit the boss with your attack until it falls dead. Bosses will transform into a new form at some point, and switch up attack patterns with each fight.
The game itself is very difficult, but not in a way that will make you throw your controller strait into the wall. All of the deaths I've had are completely fair. I've died 160 times, for your information. The funnest thing about this game, I would say, is becoming a master of the game and beating the boss I was stuck on, of course followed by getting my butt royally kicked by the next one.
PRESENTATION
This game is great, but where it really shines is in it's presentation. The game's assets are 100% hand-drawn, and the fully orchestrated soundtrack is some of the best music I've heard from a game.
As you can see, the overworld map is a watercolor painting. So are all the backgrounds from every level.
You may also be able to see a film filter (white lines and dots on screen), which I thought would annoy me to no end, but actually blends in with the experience quite well.
CONCLUSION
So, would I recommend this to you? It depends on what you like. If you're a fan of Contra or Megaman, then I'd more than recommend it. Tight controls and hard difficulty, it's probably everything you'd want! It's 20 dollars on Steam, less than most triple A titles. Anyone who enjoys Platformers should at least take a look at it, even if that's not directly playing the game.