Cupheadheavily draws from 1930s cartoons. Its soundtrack by Kristofer Maddigan is influenced by big band orchestras from the Jazz Age, giving the game its mischievous yet childish tone. Visually,Cuphead’s graphics rely on old-timey, hand-drawn animations and coloring techniques. These graphics are then layered with a special filter that makesCupheadfeel like it is being played on an older television (though other filters can be unlocked).
WhileCuphead’s sounds and aestheticsdraw from elements that are almost a century old, its main protagonists take after a 1980s video game. Cuphead and Mugman share a lot in common with Mario and Luigi - the Italian plumbing protagonists of theSuper Mario Bros.franchise. This comes as no surprise consideringCupheaddirectors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer took inspiration from Shigeru Miyamoto’s creation to make their duo.
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Birds of a Feather
Getting the obvious out of the way,Cuphead and Mugman are twin brothers; much like Mario and Luigi. Cuphead is the older twin and has a red color scheme, while Mugman is younger and has a blue color scheme. Mugman has a shorter straw on top of his thin head and a bigger nose than Cuphead, which makes him look taller. Despite this, both Cuphead and Mugman have the same height and hitbox sizes - so it doesn’t matter which of the two characters players choose when it comes to gameplay.
Mario and Luigi may have started as palette swaps, but Nintendo has since changed their physical appearances to differentiate them. Mario retains his iconic red color scheme but is a shorter and stockier older brother. On the flip side, Luigi is thin and tall - characteristics that often get him confused as the older sibling. Luigi also sports a smoother, simpler mustache in contrast to his brother’s rugged facial hair. While olderSuper Mario Bros.games have Mario and Luigi sharing hitbox sizes and abilities, more recent titles give the brothers different stats.
Two Adventurous Duos
Protagonists are often only as good as the villains they fight, and these two duos get into their fair share of trouble. Mario and Cuphead - being headstrong and rash - are usually the ones who get their brothers involved in messy adventures. Whether it’s saving Princess Peach orcollecting souls for the Devil, the older brothers always find something interesting to do. Their adventures are also quite similar. MostSuper Mario Bros.games are platformers and task the brothers with saving an innocent soul (i.e. Princess Peach).Cuphead, on the other hand, has the two anthropomorphic brothers saving their own souls by working for the Devil. By the end of the games, the brothers each manage to complete their goals and save others along the way.
While the older brothers tend to be more heroic, the younger brothers seem more reserved.Luigi has evolved into a cowardly characterwith solo adventures (particularly in theLuigi’s Mansionseries) seeing him become an unwilling hero who steps up because there is no one else to do the job. Despite this, he is loyal to his friends and his brother, and will do whatever it takes to save the day.
Based onCuphead’s few cutscenes andThe Cuphead Show!on Netflix, it has been established that Mugman is more cautious than Cuphead. In both forms of media, he tries to talk his brother out of making rash decisions - most of which cause the two to sell their souls to the Devil or end up in some other unfortunate circumstance. Even with his brother’s penchant for mischief, Mugman wholly supports his brother and the antics he gets up to.
Even though these brotherly duos were created decades apart, Cuphead and Mugman share a lot of Mario and Luigi’s aesthetics, gameplay, and even lore significance. TheCupheadbrothers managed to become an iconic duo in a short time, with merchandise and a Netflix series based on them. Time will tell ifCupheadever becomes as successful asSuper Marios Bros., but it’s safe to say the influences of Mario and Luigi helped make them stand out from other video game protagonists.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Courseis available now via PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
