“Depth, not breadth.” That’s the mantra for The Delicious Last Course, Cuphead’s DLC that arrives across all systems on 30th June.
Originally announced back in 2018, The Delicious Last Course has been a longtime coming for starving Cuphead fans. Priced £6.79, it adds around four hours of things to do on the brand new Inkwell Isle, and introduce new playable character Ms. Chalice.
Studio MDHR’s aim, it says, is not only to provide something extra to play, but add new gameplay flavours to the existing main game. As an amuse bouche, Eurogamer got a hands-off peek at the new DLC and it’s looking like there will be plenty to sink your teeth into.
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course | Release Date Announcement Trailer Watch on YouTube
The DLC is fully integrated into the game, rather than a separate menu. Accessing Inkwell Isle is as simple as chatting to the new Boatman character, who’ll whisk you away on your new adventure to turn the corporeal Ms. Chalice into physical form. Naturally, that’s done through food. With that, Cuphead and Mugman’s quest to defeat bosses and collect their ingredients for Chef Saltbaker to use in a Wondertart begins. It’s as surreal as you’d expect.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last CoursePublisher: Studio MDHRDeveloper: Studio MDHRPlatform: Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and GOG)Availability: Out 30th June
A major reason (besides the pandemic, of course) for the DLC’s delay is the sheer amount of work that goes into its animation. There are apparently more frames of animation in one phase of a boss fight here than in an entire three-phase battle in the original. All the visuals are hand drawn but now feature even more detail, from the bosses themselves to the arena backdrops that add more scale and depth than before. The sheer amount of stuff on screen is hugely impressive.
That’s matched by a new musical score which, like the animation, continues to take its cues from the 1930s but also plunders new genres for inspiration. Meanwhile, the new Inkwell Isle is another stunning map area to explore that’s now devoid of run-and-gun levels, but brimming – the studio promises – with secrets to discover and extra unique challenges.