Cuphead has surprised players and fans alike recently with a surprise release for the PlayStation 4. With this release however, comes many new players who aren't sure how to use Cuphead's mechanics properly during this very difficult game.
One of the most important Cuphead mechanics is the parry mechanic. This lets players destroy certain projectile objects while additionally adding to their super meter.
While technically not needed in every fight, parrying correctly can greatly increase the chances for victory for both single player and multiplayer playthroughs of this tough title. As such, it's important for players to get it down as soon as possible.
Parrying can be performed by players by pressing the jump button while in mid-air after a jump. If players are in an airplane stage, they can parry just by pressing the jump button normally. When an object is successfully parried, it will be destroyed completely and the parrying player will get energy for their super. However, only pink-colored objects can be parried.
There is one object that can be parried, but won't increase a player's super meter. This would be the ghost of a player's co-op partner if they run out of health. However, parrying another player's ghost will revive them with one health point.
Another important thing to note while parrying is that successful parries can be chained. This will become necessary for late-game boss fights that require parry chains in order to stay out of harms way. Chains are also necessary in order to complete the mausoleum levels in order to unlock more super moves to use during run and gun stages as well as boss fights.
Players that struggle with the timing for parrying should practice in earlier stages in order to improve, as many of the late-game levels will be nearly impossible to complete without parrying. It is also just a helpful skill to know since being able to use super moves can help whittle down boss health that much faster.
There are two different items that players can purchase from Porkrind's Emporium that affect parrying. They are:
- Parry Sugar - Causes the player to automatically parry upon their first jump
- Whetstone - Turns the first parry by the player in a jump to turn into a damaging axe attack
Parry Sugar is good for players that cannot get down the timing for parrying at all, but it isn't recommended too much due to the value of learning chain parries. If players don't have plans on getting every single coin from the run and gun stages, they may want to opt out of this charm.
The Whetstone is overall very situational due to it not being a ranged attack. However, it can be used very well in the hands of skilled players.
Cuphead is available now on Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.