First, obligatory this didn’t happen today, but last week.
Now, for those unaware, Cuphead is a video game where you run around in a ’50’s Disney art style game shooting finger guns at opponents to beat them. Before we go any further, I want to preface that there is a kids show based on this game on Netflix, which was her introduction to the franchise.
Now, the game is cutesy looking, but has some mildly darker implications, as the whole premise is that you are collecting the soul contracts of the bosses you defeat to give to the Devil. These undertones aren’t anything a child would reasonably pick up on though and honestly is very tame as far as appearances and violence and whatnot.
We got to the last level, which is defeating the Devil, but first he asks if you’re going to hand over the contracts per the characters agreement with him from the beginning of the game. I was curious about the result (it was a yes or no answer, which is the only time they offered a choice like this), so I took a second to look it up. It probably would have taken me about ten seconds in total to make sure I didn’t make a bad choice here for her sake.
As I am doing this, having warned my daughter to give me a moment to look into it, she starts button mashing and selects “Yes”. Spoiler free result: a very creepy end game screen, with accompanying music that made my daughter not want to play the rest of the night. Spoiler full result: the next screen shows Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice (the playable characters of the game) essentially zombified with spooky expressions, sharp teeth, and fire surrounding them. The title screen music was also creepy when I tried to jump back into it. She refused to play anymore that night, but luckily the next night asked me to help her defeat the Devil. This was only last week, and she’s already back to playing it with me, but I still felt pretty bad about it.
Also, for those asking that are familiar with the game, yes of course it’s too difficult for her to actually reasonably play, I had cheats turned on for her sake so she could get through the whole thing and have fun.
TL;DR: Played a cutesy looking game with dark undertones with my 4 y.o. daughter, ended up scaring her into not wanting to play the rest of the night.
ETA: For clarifications sake, the show does not follow the same storyline or most plot points as the game, the only part that’s somewhat similar (that I can recall) is at the end. Chalice’s soul is taken by the Devil, and Cuphead beats the Devil in rock paper scissors to get her soul back. Otherwise, most episodes are standalone entries, and many include run-ins with the various bosses of the game, but without any fights.
Comments
I just want to know how the hell you got to the final boss playing multiplayer with a 4 year old! I need those cheats.
How in the heck could you get that far in the game with a 4 year old? It’s so freaking hard!
Try hollow Knight for some good dark undertones but not so intense, and a little more whimsy
I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt. We once got too far into Hollow Knight with my niece, and she was terrified for days!
I mean it’s kinda her fault for button mashing. good lesson.
I think it’s adorable that you were playing with your four year old daughter. I am amazed you were playing such a difficult game with her. On the other hand, the colorful cartoony graphics are perfect for small children. Glad she didn’t suffer long term fears from the ending.
In Simpson’s comic guy voice: “Actually, I would call that 30s style art.”
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My daughter was 6 when she fought her first boss, a vaccuum cleaner in It Takes Two. Got so intense she forgot to go to the bathroom, only after we won did she realise she wet herself. One of her best memories, we still play that game 4 years later
You let a 4 years old play that game?
Heck, do you let a 4 years old play video games at all?
Aww, my little brother was obsessed with Cuphead around that age. I think it’s a rite of passage to be terrified of some video game scenes. I had to close my eyes when my aunts were playing Mortal Kombat 64 during the fatalities, lol.
You guys clearly didn’t grow up on 80s fantasy movies. Now that was some trauma!
https://preview.redd.it/w2mth0eu2wbf1.jpeg?width=273&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6f55ac527bbbd78686e4d550cb331fc6c18b2bb
Rubber hose style animation was actually popular before Disney with Felix the Cat being one of the first popular animations using the style. Soon after, imitators rose up copying. Disney was actually fairly responsible for the decline of rubber hose animation by advancing animation techniques.
How did you beat Cuphead with a 4 year old??
Is that story line also in the cartoon ?
OP’s username checks out. Should add the word “Best” at the start from now on. Thank you OP for inducting a young one to the world of games!
Well if she’s anything like me, she probably found resolve in her heart to defeat the devil because she didn’t like that end.
Like how I felt when I couldn’t save Meryl as a kid…
To be fair to you, you can never be sure what’s going to freak out a four year old. My daughter was about that age when I played through a game with her watching where the sun exploded. She was terrified for YEARS that our sun was going to explode suddenly one day and she had a ton of nightmares where that happened. I felt really bad about it, but I couldn’t have known it’d freak her out, much less freak her that much!
If it makes you feel better my son asks my husband to play cuphead for him too
I was honestly disappointed with how different the show was from the game. Still decent for the kids, though.
I attempted to play the game. Couldn’t beat a single challenge.
I did not think it would be impossibly hard. How did you get cheats ?
Lmao, Cuphead went from Saturday cartoon to horror movie real quick!
The show is for kids? Didn’t see that coming.