Review | Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course

We have been waiting since 2019 for Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course and I am happy to say it was well worth the wait and it has an insane $8 US price tag. Featuring some of the most incredible artwork and a soundtrack that never misses, this is a DLC that any fan of the base game has to play. Ms. Chalice is a delight to play as, and boy I can’t say enough positive things about this one so let’s get into it.

The Greatest Chef in All the Lands

The DLC is available once you beat the first mausoleum of the game. The new boatman can take you back and forth from each of the game’s islands, a welcome addition to the entire package. You’ve been summoned by the ethereal ghost, Ms. Chalice. She has a cookie that can let her swap places with either Cuphead or Mugman and be used during stages. It’s the invention of Chef Saltbaker who has an even more incredible recipe in the works, the Wondertart! This tart will bring Ms. Chalice back to life in full and you’re tasked with tracking down its exotic ingredients. Each is held by one of the new DLC island’s bosses and you’ll have to knock them out to procure them.

The biggest additions to the overall package are having Ms. Chalice be playable in every encounter and the new weapons and charms that the game introduces. She feels incredible to play with her parry being a forward dash and holding down and pressing the Y button being an invincibility roll that saved my life more times than I can count. Even after defeating every new boss I had only unlocked the first few new weapons which were both great, the Crackshot and Converge Shot. The former shoots in a straight line for high damage, but if it doesn’t connect it’ll crack off in the nearest enemy’s direction for a free albeit lighter hitting attack. Converge shoots three electrical beams in a W shape for a wide spread of damage that is immensely satisfying. That is just the start though, as so much more is available if you have the coins.

One difference between the DLC and the base game is that there are no platforming levels. Instead, some cool new additions were introduced in the form of a set of challenge levels that appear to be tied to an overarching secret on the new island.

I Can See Why This Took Three Years

The animation in the Delicious Last Course is some of the greatest I have ever seen, in any medium. Everything is still hand-drawn with no shortcuts taken, and it looks stunning. Ms. Chalice alone has thousands and thousands of cells of animation to integrate her into every aspect of the game. A unique super for every weapon, full animations for flight, and so much more. It just looks absolutely incredible and it was well worth the wait.

The soundtrack is better than the base game owing in large part to a far larger assortment of musicians in the orchestra. Made mostly during the pandemic they had to record with no more than 8 musicians in the studio at once but still pushed through to have upwards of 100’s per song when needed. There is no voice work in the game and the writing style is brilliantly in line with the base game. It’s both serious and damned funny with an aim at kids that still holds up for adults, Pixar style.

I ended up beating all of the main DLC boss content in a little over an hour, but your mileage may vary. For the hardest-core Cupheadians out there it might be 30 minutes, and for some, the average is supposedly around three hours to clear out everything. Priced at only $8 US, and with the base game discounted at launch, it’s well worth the price.

In Conclusion

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is an incredible experience that everyone who possibly can should play through. The animation work is consistently jaw-dropping, with an imagination to it you have to see to truly understand. Ms. Chalice and the new weaponry and charms are an excellent addition to what was already a stellar package and you can even complete all of it on the simple mode for once!  Everyone should at least see if not play this expansion, it is truly wonderful.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course

$7.99

9.5

Unmissable

9.5/10

Pros

• Deliciously Animated
• A phenomenal soundtrack
• Tight controls
• Great balance
• Seriously PLAY THIS

See on the Xbox Store