Cuphead, a friendly game of playing as a person with the head as a cup, featuring 1930’s movie-like graphics and music? …or “the cartoon version of Dark Souls” with its 2D bullet hell-style boss fights?
This game has been the forefront of what “challenge VS reward” means in video gaming, referring anything with a challenge to Dark Souls. And even I don’t do that.
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But what I have to say, isn’t about the Spawn of Satan level of challenging (yet fun) game. For what I have to say is a theory. And this theory isn’t from playing it (I never have), it’s from what I’ve seen of several people playing (and raging at) the game.
And that is the soul contracts the player is tasked to collect (in order to keep himself and his cup brother from giving their souls to the Devil). One thing has caught my eye, and that is the names matching every boss defeated.
It made me start to ponder the origin of these contracts, and I have the quite obvious answer (but it’s a spoiler). This spoiler also has further proof of the theory (of the endgame).
If you’re immune to spoilers, then by all means feel free to read the below spoiler section below this small disclaimer. And if you have already beaten the game (and if on Regular with ‘S’ ranking for all levels/bosses, you are a God) and are curious to my theory, please read it.
Without further delays, here’s my theory;
As I said about the origins of the soul contracts, it’s quite obvious. The bosses… have sold their own souls to the devil, and possibly the same way of using King Dice and his not so fair ways of betting (and the same way Cuphead lost). Why they even did in the first place though, eludes me. Though it could be anything; Money? Fame? Power? Yet I think they wanted the ability to transform (and affect the world around them). The way the boss stages behave, this seems to be the thing. With the two toads turning into a slot machine, the blimp lady turning into different creatures, and the green dragon able to transform into a three-headed fire-breathing hydra.
And the reason why the Devil decides to let the cup brothers live, is because he told the bosses that if they want their souls back, to kill Cuphead.
The bosses are slaves to the Devil, forced to work for him.
This theory is further proven at the very end of the game (after defeating the Devil). You see Cuphead and Mugman celebrating their victory on a stage, surrounded by the smiling faces of all the bosses.
Their souls are clearly freed by the grasp of the Devil, and this is the best way to thank the cup brothers.