First of all, thank you for checking out my guide! This is my first guide. I really wanted to write it because this game has become something special to me, mere months after it came out. Never have I wanted to replay a game so quickly after beating it the first time. It is my personal 2017 GOTY.

A majority of this guide is written by me, with my own original research based on my efforts to beat and complete Cuphead. If I use anyone else's advice or videos at some point in this guide, I will credit them accordingly. [Note: if you find any inaccuracies or I give you a tip you can improve upon, let me know and I'll credit you in this guide!]

This guide was made only with PC web browsing in mind. If you view this on a different platform, such as mobile, the guide may be harder to read.

START - Start the game. You can start a new game, or continue a previously saved game.
OPTIONS - Change various settings.

• AUDIO
  • MASTER VOLUME: Change the overall volume of the game.
    
  • MUSIC VOLUME: Change the volume of background music.
    
  • SFX VOLUME: Change the volume of sound effects.
• VISUAL
  • RESOLUTION: Change the length and width of the game, measured by pixels. For best results, use the setting that matches your OS'S resolution. To find out what your resolution is in a Windows PC, go to your Desktop, right click the desktop itself, and then click Display.
    
  • DISPLAY: Choose how you want the game to display.
    • FULLSCREEN: Game takes up the entire screen; to use another program mid game in Windows, you would have to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete or the Windows logo button.
      
    • WINDOWED: This will show the address bar (the bar at the top of your the window), which you can use to click and drag the game window around, minimize it, maximize it, and exit.
  • VSYNC: Turn Vsync on or off. For those who don't know what Vsync is, Vsync is short for Vertical Sync. Turning it on synchronizes the game's frame rate with the monitor's refresh rate.
    This results in a more stable frame rate. Turning off Vsync might give the game a higher frame rate, but it will be more prone to slowdown.
    
  • OVERSCAN: Set the level of overscan compensation. Overscan is when the picture is too large for the TV screen, causing the outer parts of the picture to appear off screen. This is prevalent with older televisions. Increasing this setting will shrink the screen, making it fit better with your TV/monitor screen. If you see black edges around the game screen, you have Overscan set too high and you should reduce it to fit more snugly with your TV/monitor screen.
    
  • BRIGHTNESS: Set how bright you want the game to appear.
    
  • COLOR BLEED: Set how much colors bleed. Color bleeding is when objects absorb color from the reflected light of nearby objects. As of yet, I haven't been able to notice a major difference in visuals between a maximum Color Bleed setting and a minimum one, but if I find anything this guide will be updated with the difference.
• CONTROLS:
  
  • CONTROLLER
    
    • Remove: Deactivate the controller used to select this option.
      
    • Assign Controller: Use a connected controller to play this game.
  • Default Control Setup. Highlight a button and click on it to change the button you want to use to perform the action on the keyboard or controller. [Note: To view and change the controller settings, you must have a gaming controller connected to your computer. The controller used in this example is an Xbox One Controller.]
    ACTIONS

    KEYBOARD (Default keyboard setting)

    CONTROLLER (Default controller setting)

    Move Horizontal

    N/A

    Left Stick X

    Move Right

    Right Arrow

    D-Pad Right

    Move Left

    Left Arrow

    D-Pad Left

    Move Vertical

    N/A

    Left Stick Y

    Move Up

    Up Arrow

    D-Pad Up

    Move Down

    DownArrow

    D-Pad Down

    Jump

    Z

    A

    Shoot

    X

    X

    EX Shoot

    V

    B

    Switch Weapon

    Tab

    Left Bumper

    Lock

    C

    Right Bumper

    Dash

    Left Shift

    Y

Tip: If you are using an Xbox One Controller, I recommend changing the button for Switch Weapon to Left Trigger and switching the button for Lock to Right Trigger. The triggers are more comfortable to hold and to rest your fingers on.
EXIT - Quit the game.

You will hear this in the title screen upon starting the game.

Lyrics:
Well, Cuphead and his pal Mugman
They like to roll the dice
By chance they came upon Devil's game
And gosh, they paid the price
Paid the price...
And now they're fighting for their lives
On a mission fraught with dread
And if they proceed but don't succeed
Well...
The Devil will take their heads!

I have placed the opening cutscene here, in case you missed a page of it, or you just want to read it again. Click each image for a larger view.






TL;DR: Cuphead and Mugman are two brothers who live under the watchful eye of Elder Kettle. One day, they decided to go out and wander. The Elder warned them not to go too far off, but they did and ended up in a Casino. They start gambling when the owner of the Casino - the Devil - enters the room. Impressed by their winning streak, he makes a deal with Cuphead: Cuphead makes a final roll, and if he wins, the Devil will give him all of his loot, but if he loses, both he and Mugman have to give the Devil their souls! Cuphead makes a final roll and lands Snake Eyes, losing the bet. The brothers beg the Devil to find another way to repay their debt to him. He tells them he has a list of debtors that owe him their souls. If the brothers get the souls for him, they can keep theirs. They run to Elder Kettle for advice.








TL;DR: Elder Kettle gives Cuphead and Mugman a magical drink that grants them magic abilities (presumably the abilities to shoot, dash, and parry). They jump into the magical inkwell on his writing desk and train for the battles ahead.

Inkwell Isle 1

This is a forest where Cuphead, Mugman, and their guardian Elder Kettle presumably live. Elder Kettle will teach the brothers the basics of the gameplay in the Tutorial Level. There are two Tutorials, five Boss Fights, two Run & Gun levels, and a Mausoleum.



Inkwell Isle 2

This World takes place in a carnival. You can obtain the Bomb weapon for your Plane here. At the right side, there is a lake where you can talk to a character that tells you how many times you have died during your current playthrough. There are five Boss Fights, two Run & Gun Levels, and a Mausoleum.


Inkwell Isle 3

This World takes place in the city, which has a dock area where some of the levels take place. There are seven Boss Fights, two Run & Gun levels, and a Mausoleum.





Inkwell Hell

This world, also known as the Finale, takes place in a small cave, presumably the gateway to Hell. It consists of only two Bosses: King Dice and the Devil himself. King Dice must be defeated before you can face the Devil.






Press SHIFT (Y if using an Xbox controller) to bring up the Equip Card. Use this card to Equip up to two Weapons, one Super Art (or none), one Charm (or none), and see which Run & Gun and Boss Levels you have completed, as well as your highest rank in each level and the time you took to get that rank.

List

This is the list of Boss Fights and Run & Gun Levels you've completed. There is a checkbox to the left of their name indicating the highest difficulty you've completed them in:
• Blank - You've never completed this level.
  
• Dash - You've completed this level in Simple Difficulty.
  
• Checkmark - You've completed this level in Regular Difficulty.
  
• Star - You've completed this level in Expert Difficulty.

The most obvious thing you can do is select your Level.
Boss Fights are marked by large structures that appear less still, have darker outlines, and are more boldly colored than the rest of the background. Usually these structures take the place of buildings or large vehicles.
Run & Gun levels are marked by red-and-white targets.
Complete any level to open up pathways to new areas.
Mausoleums are large white buildings. You can enter them at any time until you complete their level, after which they are destroyed.
Tip: If a level looks interesting to you but is impossible for you to reach, try completing one of the levels already available to you.

Throughout each World there are multiple characters you can talk to. Some have funny things to say, while others will provide you with side quests. If they ask you for help or make a suggestion, do what they say! Going back to talk to them after doing what they ask you to do will often get you rewards such as Coins.

Most Worlds have a Porkrind's Emporium that looks like the store at the top-right corner of this screenshot.
If you're having trouble with any of the game's levels, or you just want to experiment with new items, Porkrind's Emporium is for you! Get your Gold Coins ready and head into the shop to buy new Weapons and charms.


If you're having trouble beating all of the levels available to you, why not look for another? The first three Worlds all have shortcuts that you can walk around to try new areas early. They aren't immediately obvious, but you can find them by trying to walk through every possible spot in the map. Tip: Look through any openings under bridges or behind mountains. If you can find an opening, chances are you can go through it.

While you can earn Coins in Run & Guns levels and from doing favors for people around you, some Coins are completely hidden in the World Map. Try looking around and pressing the same button you use to talk to people (A on an Xbox One controller). It's best to look in corners and behind buildings. Tip: Tap the button constantly while you're walking around the map and running along walls; I've had an easier time finding Coins that way.

This section will cover the types of levels you will come across while on your journey to the Casino.

Tip: This game features NO checkpoints. While I wouldn't say this game features a lot of trial and error per se, it will help you TONS to observe and memorize the various attack patterns and enemies that come at you at certain parts of the levels.

Inkwell Island 1 has two Tutorial levels to help you learn the basics of the game. The first one must be completed before taking on any other levels, and the second one must be completed before taking on Hilda Berg.

Tip: EVERYONE who is playing this game for the first time should do this tutorial. Even if you have done it before, if you are playing co-op with someone who has never played Cuphead before, make sure to have your partner go through the tutorial and be there for any questions your partner may have.

These are the meat of the game, the reason Cuphead goes on his journey. A majority of the levels consist of a large enemy you must defeat to obtain his/her Soul Contract. A majority of the boss fights consist of multiple stages, which require different maneuvers to overcome. Aside from the very few Tutorials, these are the only required levels in the game. Complete all Boss Fights in Regular or higher difficulty or King Dice will not allow you to enter the next island.

There are two sub-types of Boss Fights:

• On-Foot: A majority of the levels in this game, including most of the Boss Fights, take place on-foot. They use Cuphead's normal controls and have you running, jumping, and gunning at the Boss until he/she is defeated.
  
• Aeroplane: Cuphead and Mugman ride their planes and can move up, down, left, right and diagonally. They always face right, so you can only shoot right. They use two Weapons specifically for these stages (only the default Weapon is available until you reach World 2). They also use their own EX Moves and their own Super Art.

Each World (except Inkwell Hell) has two Run & Gun levels. While these are not required to progress, they are highly recommended, as each contains five Coins that you can use to buy Weapons and Charms from the Store. You will learn more about Weapons and Charms in the Weapons, Charms, and Super Arts section.

Each of the first three Worlds has a Mausoleum Stage. While they aren't required to beat the game, it is highly recommended that you complete at least one of them. The only enemies in this stage are Pink Ghosts. The objective of this level is to get rid off all Pink Ghosts using your Parry move before they get to the vase in the center. If even one Ghost touches this vase, you fail the level and must restart. Once you get rid of all of the Pink Ghosts, you get rewarded with one of three Super Arts. You will learn more about Super Arts in the Weapons, Charms, and Super Arts section.

Boss Fights and Run & Gun levels feature a ranking system.


The screenshot on the left is the level completion screen for Boss Battles. The one on the right is for Run & Gun Levels.

Criteria
The Grade you receive on graded levels is based on how well you meet the following criteria:

• TIME: The amount of time you used to complete the level.
  
• HP BONUS: How much HP your character has remaining. You need at least 3 HP for the best rank. Note: This is based on how many Hit Points you have left, NOT how many times you've been hit. If you use a Charm that raises your health but get hit once, you will still get full credit here as long as you have at least 3 HP remaining.
  
• PARRY: How many times you've successfully used Parry on an enemy or enemy attack. Parry at least three times to get the highest score.
  
• SUPER METER: This is measured by how many cards you've used up in your Super Meter, so EX Moves count as one use toward this score. Since Super Arts use all five cards in your meter, they add five points to this total. Use at least six cards for the highest score. Boss Levels only
  
• GOLD COINS: How many Gold Coins you've collected in a level. The coins you've collected in the level carry over, so if you've collected coins in a previous run, you will get credit in this run without having to collect them again. For this reason, if you were trying to get an A or S-rank in this level, it would be best not to do so until you've already collected all of the level's coins. Run & Gun Levels only
  
• SKILL LEVEL: You can get up to three Stars depending on the Difficulty Selection you choose when you start a level. The harder the level, the more Stars you earn:
  • Simple - 1 Star
    
  • Regular - 2 Stars
    
  • Expert - 3 Stars

Rankings

• P: P stands for Pacifist. This Grade is only available on Run & Gun levels. You get a P by completing a level without shooting any enemies, regardless of your performance. This is, for all intents and purposes, the best ranking available for a Run & Gun level.
  Tips:
  
  • Using Parry DOES NOT count against you, even if you "kill" an enemy by using a Parry attack.
  • The Invincibility Super Art does not count against you either, since it doesn't damage enemies.
    
  • DO NOT try a perfect run on Run & Gun levels if you are only doing it for completion. P-Rank doesn't take your performance into account, and it overrides the S-Rank, rendering S-Rank useless in these levels.
  
  
• S : This is the highest ranking you can obtain in Boss Fights. Getting an S requires you to play in Expert while also meeting all of the criteria listed above. Expert difficulty is only available after you beat the game. [Note: I don't know if there are any rewards for beating all Boss Fights with S-Rank, but I am currently working on getting all S-Rankings on every Boss Fight. I will update this section when I find out more.]
  
• A+, A, A- : These are arguably the most important ranks you can get. An A+ is considered a perfect record and is the highest record you can get, provided you haven't beaten the game yet. There are four Achievements total for earning an A-Rank or higher in each of the Worlds. [Note: A- still counts as an A-Rank i.e. if you get A- on all bosses in a World, you will still get the Achievement.]
  
• B+ and lower: You will earn one of these Grades if you do not qualify for the Grades above.

The first three Worlds in the game have a Store run by Porkrind. You can use your Coins to buy Weapons and Charms from him.

Above: You can find the SHOP in any of the first three worlds. They all look exactly the same and sell the same things.




EX Moves



A Super Art can be considered super powerful EX Moves. They each cost 5 Cards (a full meter).

• 
  
•