The game design process is one that is truly trial-and-error. You think one thing works, but then you find something better or think you can do better. Most people think this applies to just the gameplay aspects of their titles, but in fact, it applies to everything, and that includes the main characters of the titles. For the game known as Cuphead, which has charmed people since the beginning of its existence, you’d think they would’ve had the two main characters worked out from the beginning. When in fact, they were scrambling to figure out who they should be.
“Cuphead and Mugman came from the tail end of the concept phase, where we were like, ‘none of these that we have work,'” art director Chad Moldenhauer said to IGN on their podcast Unfiltered.
Hard to believe huh? Well, it’s true, and Lead game designer Jared Moldenhauer went on to note that while other ideas they had for the two would’ve worked, it just didn’t feel right.
The two then noted that almost in desperation they started to throw random objects on the characters heads to see if they stuck (one of which may or may not have been an anvil), and eventually, a cup was put on. it was in that moment that they realized they had something special. What’s more, they felt that they had checked off a key piece of character design, “a memorable silhouette”.
The results speak for themselves, Cuphead and Mughead became absolutely adorable characters, and the game has been selling like crazy ever since release. The game has even been nominated for certain awards via The Game Awards.
But more importantly, the game just stands out, not just for its looks and its characters, but for its difficulty, something a lot of gamers are truly appreciating. So if you haven’t tried it out yet, what are you waiting for?
