Review: Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course (Nintendo Switch)

I gotta be honest, more challenging content from a game like Cuphead was not on my wishlist any time soon. As you can read in my review for the base game, there’s a lot to love about Cuphead but, man, was it just lacking in fun — to me anyway. The sound effects of the peashooter immediately brought back some trauma from the first game 😅. But, without further lament, let’s dive into the Delicious Last Course (abbreviated DLC — cute).

For starters, there isn’t a whole lot that’s been added to the gameplay formula this time around, which isn’t particularly unexpected from an expansion. One new addition, Ms. Chalice, can be selected as a playable character from the start of the Delicious Last Course along with Cuphead and Mugman. She can be used throughout the original game as well which is a nice bonus. There are also some new items but the main draw for the DLC is the content itself, a new set of bosses. This is where we get to see more beautifully crafted animations by Studio MDHR. Gone are the platforming levels so be ready for what amounts to be a pretty daunting boss gauntlet. Sure, there’s a momentary reprieve with some over world traversal and even some puzzles here and there, but you’re essentially fighting bosses left and right. I’d try to sugar coat it by saying some of the bosses are easy, but I won’t lie to you. There is an easier mode for the bosses but, unfortunately, that won’t net you the items you need to collect throughout the expansion’s story. I won’t spoil too much of it but you’re in for more sinister bosses than you can shake a stick at.

Multiplayer is still a great way to share the load for these boss battles. And you’ll definitely want to try out various item and weapon combinations. When I first started playing Cuphead, I just tried to press the ‘shoot’ button really fast but that will tire you out quickly. Something that helped me was holding the ‘shoot’ button down while jumping around. If you can, keep holding it down even while platforming. Another big advantage is to use the scatter shot. It has a very short range but packs a punch since it has the potential to hit the boss multiple times. It can also damage enemies in the vicinity (both above and below). The roundabout shot is also an interesting one because you can hit your target even when you’re running away from a boss. This can be very handy for certain bosses that require a lot of movement and especially when you’re not always facing them. Odds are you’ll be moving away from them a lot of the time so the roundabout can be a great way to still land some blows.

It’s hard to knock the Delicious Last Course on anything other than I just didn’t find it very fun — as was the case with the base game. Everything else though, from performance to visuals and music, is top notch. If you’re a bit of a glutton for punishment and want some more bosses to fight, the Delicious Last Course might be up your alley. And, for only $7.99, it’s pretty easy on the wallet.