About a week ago, the achievements list for Studio MDHR's colorful run and gun indie shooter Cuphead was revealed before the title even had time to hit store shelves, and now that it has officially released, fans are certainly delving into the game to tick off each and every one with aplomb. Of course, with it having just been made available for Xbox One and PC today, there may not be too many folks who have even gotten close to beating it, much less discovered its secret game mode.

For those Cuphead fans who need assistance in unlocking the title's secret mode, they would do well to follow along with the rest of the article below, but there are surely some who may wish to unlock it on their own. If that's the case, then those who are going it alone without any help should avoid the rest of this post, as the details involved in unlocking the secret game mode involves several mild spoilers.

Talk to the Turtle in the Main Hub

In Cuphead's main hub area, players will notice a turtle that happens to be sitting by the docks, and once fans speak to him, the little green reptile will share some words about pacifism. Not to mention, the turtle will hint that a special bonus awaits those who can clear the game's platforming levels without shooting a single enemy.

Upon completing a level without shooting, players ought to receive a P as their grade, and the flag raised for the level will also be marked with a P. Those who are able to do this for all six of the game's platforming stages – that is, Forest Follies, Treetop Trouble, Funfair Fever, Funhouse Frazzle, Perilous Piers, and Rugged Ridge – they will need to return to the turtle, and he will not only unlock a Black and White mode, but also audio filters that make the game look even more vintage.

The Plan for Pacifism

For those unaware, Cuphead can be quite a difficult game – it might eventually go down as one of the hardest video games yet – even without a putting into action a self-imposed restriction like not shooting enemies. With this being the case, players will need to plan and ration the use of Charms and Super Weapons carefully should one want to unlock Black and White mode.

Furthermore, it's also important to note that Cuphead players only need to avoid shooting one's weapon to earn a P grade. This means that using a character's parries, dashing, and the Invincibility Super won't count against the attempt to beat any of the platforming stages without shooting a baddie. Not to mention, clearing the game in its entirety will also unlock Expert mode, which will be a much more imposing challenge overall, as everything moves at a faster rate than normal.

Taking all of this into account, with the long wait for Cuphead now over – it was initially revealed as far back as E3 2014 – fans of the run and gun title can now hop into its beautiful, 1930s-era cartoon visuals and relentless difficulty. Of course, only time will tell if Cuphead has enough unlockable features beyond the Black and White and Expert modes to sustain players' interests once it has been completely beaten.

Cuphead is available now for PC and Xbox One.

Source: GameSpot