Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, DLC news in preview

“Right, we probably announced it too soon.” This was acknowledged during a press conference by Chad Moldenhauer, co-founder of Studio MDHR. Cuphead: Delicious Final Course previewThe DLC for the excellent shoot’em up that conquered many in 2017 due to its excellent aesthetics and an unexpectedly challenging level of challenge.

Drawn frame-by-frame by hand, pen and paper, as traditional animation technique requires, Cuphead represented a gigantic task for the small Canadian studio, yet the Moldenhauer brothers underestimated the time and work required to make a DLC. A new environment with new character, weapons and abilities, new music and most of all completely crazy bosses and levels.

With release date Studio MDHR, finally set for June 30, has finally given us an idea of ​​how the DLC will work and what to expect in terms of news and content.

How to access DLC

Once installed, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will welcome its fans in a very familiar way. Cuphead and Mugman sway in front of the game logo, but this time it checks between the two. Lady Gobleta character who appeared in the first game (it was the Legendary Chalice) and made more space in the animated series for Netflix.

The trio is accompanied by triumphant notes of a new musical theme that Overture heard for the first time at The Game Awards in 2021. For Moldenhauer, movie soundtrack “Composer Kristofer Maddigan has really excelled in his research on the ’30s and ’40s, discovering a variety of inspirations and musical genres, and adding melodies with a whole new flavor. There will be fewer songs than the first part, but each one is great. richer”.

To access The Delicious Last Course content, you must have passed at least one of the mausoleum levels. A never-before-seen character will appear outside the building, a messenger will appear to Cuphead and Mugman with a request for help from Miss Chalice, and after accepting the quest, will lead the two towards the ship. new island your game.

We will meet here chef salt shakerA chef like Miss Chalice working on a special cake that can bring ghosts back to life. However, Saltbaker needs rare ingredients that can only be obtained by chance by defeating the evil enemies scattered around the island. With this premise, the trio of heroes embark on a new journey in the name of incredible bosses, great scenarios, and many, many curses.

new island

There new map It immediately looks richer and more detailed than the first Cuphead, while the developers insist it will be full of secrets to discover. From a desolate cemetery to a snow-covered old building, as we pass through a lively square filled with characters who all seem to have something to tell us; Famous figures like Cotechino and his shop also return, where you can buy new weapons and skills.

Miss Chalice doesn’t have a body form yet, so she won’t be able to freely control her while she’s roaming the game map. Instead of Cuphead and Mugman, you will need to equip one of the skill slots to be able to use them in episodes. special biscuit Crafted by Saltbaker, it will make Miss Chalice become human again through the level you want to challenge. What seems like a strange narrative gimmick is actually a way of balancing a character that risks becoming “too” stronger.

Miss Chalice’s skills

Miss Chalice one double jumpHe starts off with an extra hit point and has an air sprint that lets him save easily without paying attention to timing.

“The Chalice’s move set is only useful in certain situations,” says Moldenhauer. “His invincible return is reminiscent of the smoke shot from the first game, but since he has to keep his feet on the ground, the smoke shot is often more useful and effective, although Cuphead and Mugman can add two to the abilities: “It’s like Chalice is a mix of the other abilities, but that makes the game much easier.” “That’s just a plus: some may find it more comfortable to play because of the double jump, while others, perhaps those who have played the original a lot, may find the jump more difficult to tame”.

Somebody special attacks Miss Chalice allows for a vertical beam fire which is very useful when fighting bosses that tend to move above or below the character. In fact, it should be underlined that everything you get in DLC can be used at old levels. Thus, those who want can try to break new records by trying new character, weapon and skill combinations.

Taste of new bosses

Obviously, however, the most interesting part of the whole package, new bossesIt’s a game that Moldenhauer has no trouble describing as “the most creative, original and challenging the team has ever made”.

Showing us as an example Mortimer Ice Cream, a totally crazy boss, between a mage and a cultist. “A single stage of this boss contains more animation frames than any of the boss fights in the old game,” says Moldenhauer. And it shows: Mortimer never stops, unzipping his enormous robes to unleash the pesky creatures, pulling a giant whale out of his hat that crashes into the playground, creating a crystal ball and a table as butlers and bullets fill the screen.

The boss transforms into a snow monster that spins back and forth, transforms into a refrigerator and throws ice cubes. However, in Delicious Last Course, not only bosses but also individual environments are transformed, as the fight moves to different regions depending on the stage. At one point platforms are created for you to climb on, you exit the ice arena and battle Mortimer’s final stage with the Northern Lights in the background. Like the old Cuphead, this DLC is perfectly animated, a love letter from the golden age of ’30s cartoons.

MDHR is aware that the way the game is made contributes to slowing production: “On this occasion, we used even larger pages and increased time to draw each frame,” says Moldenhauer. “I understand it’s very expensive, and I think a lot of people say ‘who made you do this?’ But that’s the foundation of what we do after all. To give an idea, Moldenhauer compared the amount of work behind each DLC boss with the amount of work behind the last Cuphead boss.