The writers for The Cuphead Show! chose to go with the latter option, however hints of the original plot still reside within the episodes. When adapting a video game into a television series, a choice has to be made whether to stick towards the plot of the game or to diverge onto a new narrative path. It was a clever move from the writers that gave the characters a new personality while still managing to leave room for association that viewers who have played the game might have developed towards the two. They both feel like they fit their roles perfectly, just like how a younger brother forced to play as Mugman in the game may be more inclined to follow their older brother into the various battles as they played the other brother Cuphead.
Cuphead (voiced by Tru Valentino) is mischievous and adventurous, while Mugman ( Frank Todaro) is usually seen as being more responsible, but not above getting involved with his brother's antics. This means that the writers had to develop the personalities themselves, and they did a good job at establishing the two cup brothers. Cuphead and Mugman don't speak in the game, instead using actions given by players and exaggerated facial expressions to get the job done.
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That begs the question: what was done to make sure that Netflix's The Cuphead Show!could stand on its own with what little the game had to offer regarding story?Īlong with ensuring that the show stayed visually consistent with the game, another challenging aspect of transitioning a video game into a television series is getting the characters right, especially when you have silent protagonists. What was more curious still was that the game did not have a huge focus on the story, choosing instead to focus on gameplay and presentation above all else. Chalice, what many people probably didn't expect was for the game to get so popular that it would get an entire show about it.
While the game had a steady run, even having a planned downloadable content expansion featuring new bosses and a new playable character known as Ms. It was praised for having a unique art style that harkened back towards the 1930s cartoons referred to commonly as "Rubber Hose," and the style went on to win the game multiple awards such as the "Best Visual Design" award at the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards and the "Best Independent Game" award at the 2017 Game Awards. The hit indie video game Cuphead initially released in the autumn of 2017 to excellent reviews.