Upon its original release in 2017, Cuphead was met with critical fanfare, not only providing an extremely responsive and mechanically intuitive platformer, but also making that platformer appear beautifully unique with its 1930s-inspired hand-drawn animation artstyle. It didn't take long for Cuphead to be spread like wildfire, and its varied boss designs definitely played an integral part in those discussions.
The original Cuphead had a whopping 19 bosses, each with their own unique visual and mechanical design. From boxing frogs who threw coins from slot machines at the player, to the literal Devil himself, Cuphead had no shortage of imagination and creativity. Thankfully, the long-awaited Delicious Last Course DLC looks as though it's going to carry on this same trend, at least if the latest Game Awards trailer is any indication.
Some Deliciously Varied Boss Designs
The trailer shown at the Game Awards 2021 was fairly short, coming in at just under two minutes. But in those two minutes, players got their first glimpse at four of the game's bosses, all of which looked incredibly unique and varied, providing a range of different gameplay challenges and utilizing all of Cuphead's mechanics.
The first boss seen in the trailer appears to be some form of Giant, residing in "D.L.C. Isle's" mountainous regions. The few seconds glimpse saw the crockery crusaders jump over tiny blue gnomes, avoid a swarm of flying geese, all while taking aim at the Giant's reddened nose. This fight looks as though it might take after Cuphead's most brutal boss battles, where the stage is continuously filling with objects and creatures that want to distract and defeat the player. The winter-theming of the stage, with snow coating the entire platform, also gives this boss fight an immediately unique visual design.
The next boss showcased seems to be a magician of some sort, with the bearded, cloaked man flying above the team as he fires lighting down around them. The key moment of his brief gameplay slot was him pulling out a gigantic whale out of his hat, using it to smack the player-characters on the ground beneath him. This fight seems to take place in an indoor, icy arena, with spooky snowmen cheering on the battle below. The design of these snowmen is vaguely reminiscent of the infamous Clown in Betty Boop: Snow White, perhaps being an homage to the iconic dance sequence.
Cuphead and the crew then head over to a desert-type environment, where they encounter "Sherrif Winchester," a boss that really puts the word "cow" in "cowboy." This anthropomorphic cow is briefly seen to be vaccuuming up gold and bags of money from behind the player-characters, giving them objects they need to avoid. This stage uses Cuphead's flying mechanics, putting the player in an airplane that slightly changes up movement speed and the characters' abilities.
The final boss shown off in the trailer is a literal interpretation of a knight chess piece, appearing as a horse in a full suit of armor. This battle appears to take place in a castle, with large windows and paintings adorning the arena. Here, Cuphead's parry mechanic is on full display, with the horse's mane turning pink and being countered by the player, an action which filled up the Super Meter in the original game.
While the final number of bosses is not yet known, the four seen in this trailer are sure to give players more than enough challenge. Hopefully those new power-up cookies will be enough to keep players pushing through the onslaught.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC launches on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on June 30, 2022.