Gameplay Journal 9
I recall years ago during the summer at the annual E3 conference I was watching the Xbox conference when I first saw Cuphead. From the very first screen shown it was clear this game wasn’t like those that came before, at least aesthetically. Cuphead is a 2D run and gun platformer with a stylized look reminiscent of 1920s and 1930s cartoons. It was beautiful to see on display as the character dashed and jumped through levels while firing from his finger tips. The larger than life bosses also put in place the intelligent game and level design of the studio who put the game together. It was with the craftmanship and artistic direction that established Cuphead as an instant classic.
I found it interesting in the context of Cuphead when Flanagan expressed the following: “…few of these studies have made any serious attempt to ground contemporary gaming in creative and aesthetic origins rather than a primarily technological context; and fourth, few have made the connection between games and art” (pg. 2). I believe Cuphead is a prime example of critical play and the way in which videogames are indeed an artform. Often I used to find that games were and still to a degree are treated simply as entertainment. The developers here went as far as recreating the original method to recreate the look and feel of the golden age of animation. This goes even further due to the influences within the game, influences that originated almost a century before. This goes hand in hand with Flanagan’s point that ‘’…it may seem a stretch to perceive how artists working in a very different place and during very different eras would be able to significantly contribute to the manners, modes, and processes for making games today” (pg. 3). The art reminiscent of early works by Disney and Fleischer studios demonstrate the ability of art of a different era to affect the art of today, even if its made on a completely different medium. The gameplay flow itself in the game is relatively simple and easy to grasp. With certain charms and weapons to equip the player is put to their paces in difficult levels. All of this is held together by the consistency of the art style. In the end Cuphead stands out for this appreciation of videogames as an art form.
Flanagan, Mary. “Critical Play : Radical Game Design”. MIT Press, 2009. Print.
