The indie run and gun game developed by Studio MDHR is most notable for its notorious difficulty, requiring pattern recognition for every fight in the game, and its unique style as it is hand-drawn and animated in the style of 1930's animation, cartoons, and shorts while drawing on the time period's aesthetic and music.
Starting with "the Devil's Right-Hand Man", as the character's theme song proclaims, King Dice. The character is based on a six-sided die and serves as the manager of the Devil's casino. His fight is filled with references to gambling, cards, poker, horse races, and other things considered "vices" and "sinful" behaviors like drinking and smoking. He is also one of the only characters with their own song with lyrics, performed by Alana Bridgewater, a Gospel and Jazz singer. King Dice is drawn in the same 1930's Rubberhose animation style as the rest of the characters, but he is directly inspired by a real person: Cab Calloway, while all other characters that draw inspiration draw from fictional characters. The suit, catchphrase, jazz singing, and iconic pencil mustache all reference the Harlem jazz singer and performer.
The inspiration for the Devil's design is perhaps more obvious, even if it is more concerning. While all the characters and enemies in Cuphead are humanoid to a degree, the Devil is one of the most. He is still drawn in the distinct Rubberhose style, but he draws inspiration from the more problematic and racist depictions of black people in animations of the time. He has prominent lips, dark skin (intended to be furry but less obvious than in concepts), a wide nose, and his style of movement is almost directly taken from racist caricatures and blackface depictions in Fleischer Studio's animated shorts.
The enemies of Cuphead represent the things seen as "sinful" and evil in the time that the game emulates. Gambling, drinking, smoking, and fighting were all connected to the Devil, as part of movements to encourage people to stop these behaviors. However, it is also worth noting that much like the time period, Cuphead also includes jazz music, the likeness of the first Black musician to sell one million copies of a record, and a character that references how Black people were mockingly portrayed in animations as being part of the "evil" and "demonic" you fight against in the game. Aspects of Black culture have often been connected with Satan and the Devil as a way to demonize and other the community, and it is upsetting that a game released in 2017 perpetuates those notions and stereotypes.
This is really interesting, especially how it potentially perpetuates racist stereotypes. What do you know about the makers of the game?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can tell from looking into them, the makers of the game are two brothers. There's an article that mentions they blame any possible racist designs on the animations the game is based on, and apologize but haven't changed much seeing as the same problems appeared in their DLC.
DeleteI enjoy your connection between the underlying themes of Cuphead. As someone who rage quit within half an hour of playing, I never progressed far enough to truly understand the storyline. Your point about how the developers reflect elements of Jim Crow era depictions of Black people is something I would have never known.
ReplyDeleteOh I am absolutely terrible at the game! I wouldn't have learned anything about it if I hadn't fallen asleep to someone playing the game! I woke up and went back through the game and ended up having a conversation with my roommate about some of the racial designs of the enemy characters.
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