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The Art of Cuphead
Get transported back to the golden age of 1930s animation with an art book celebrating the acclaimed run & gun game, Cuphead!Each page of this curated collection of artwork is designed to capture the vintage look and feel of the 1930's. Take a gander at the game's traditional hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation. Peek at the early concepts, production work, and early ideas that went into the making of Cuphead's characters, bosses, stages and more including never-before-seen content from the upcoming DLC!Relive the most cherished and challenging moments of Cuphead and Mugman's adventure to reclaim their souls from The Devil, all in a way you've never seen before! Guided by personal insights from game directors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, take a one-of-a-kind trip through the Inkwell Isles and discover an all-new appreciation for Cuphead's animation style and challenging retro Horse Books and Studio MDHR are thrilled to present The Art of Cuphead! This vintage-style art extravaganza is the perfect book for fans of Cuphead!
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2020
77 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
May 28, 2020
I'm a giant fan of the video game, Cuphead: the art style, music, character design, plot, and everything about it. This was a great resource for the beautiful artwork and even exciting material that didn't make it into the video game. I'm glad I could read a free digital copy instead of clunking around a probably expensive hardback. I highly recommend for fans of the game or if you just like looking at pretty things.
July 22, 2020
This art book is incredible. It goes through all the Isles in the game and all the bosses and run and guns as well as NPCs. Each one goes into one or two film references, who the animator was, what went into the background painting or model and what the design influences were. That repeats for all the Isles sections and then it moves into what didn't fit that format. This includes inking, typography and some of the special things done for the opening book, blueprints and tutorial. Hands off to them for all the content.
If I was suggesting improvements I would've liked to have seen some team photos and maybe an exit outro as it ends abruptly after a section on DLC.
If I was suggesting improvements I would've liked to have seen some team photos and maybe an exit outro as it ends abruptly after a section on DLC.
June 8, 2021
Per quanto il mio tempo dedicato ai videogiochi sia drasticamente calato negli anni, cerco comunque di ritagliarne un po’ per giocare a titoli che stimolano la mia curiosità, soprattutto dal punto di vista artistico, e Cuphead è stato uno dei giochi che mi ha colpito di più nella mia vita di videogiocatore. L’ispirazione ai cartoni animati anni 30 e ai videogame di anni 80 e 90 hanno generato questo run&gun ostico e geniale. L’artbook è una giusta lettura di accompagnamento grazie al suo approfondimento nelle tecniche utilizzate per la creazione di personaggi, boss, sfondi, colonna sonora ecc. Must have per chiunque abbia apprezzato Cuphead.
June 15, 2020
The design of this game masterfully mimics classic cartoons from the 1930s and 40s by Disney, Warner Bros. and Fleischer, combining that aesthetic with classic platformer video games. The care put into every detail from backgrounds to bosses, maps to monsters, is amazing.
The art is gorgeous, brilliantly bringing to life the kooky, crazy antics of the different characters. On top of that, the sheer variety on display is dizzying. This team clearly has a genuine affection for this style and it shows in every design.
There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes stuff here, as well as commentary about game design. It’s a true feast on many levels. When was the last time you heard someone reference Cab Calloway and Gunstar Heroes in the same breath? Never, that’s when.
The only thing lacking is discussion of the music, which is integral to the experience, and the game music is pitch perfect.
Here’s the game itself in action: https://youtu.be/QF9tzn7UUIo
The art is gorgeous, brilliantly bringing to life the kooky, crazy antics of the different characters. On top of that, the sheer variety on display is dizzying. This team clearly has a genuine affection for this style and it shows in every design.
There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes stuff here, as well as commentary about game design. It’s a true feast on many levels. When was the last time you heard someone reference Cab Calloway and Gunstar Heroes in the same breath? Never, that’s when.
The only thing lacking is discussion of the music, which is integral to the experience, and the game music is pitch perfect.
Here’s the game itself in action: https://youtu.be/QF9tzn7UUIo
January 21, 2021
The Art of Cuphead es todo lo que podría pedir de un artbook y más.
El libro está organizado en secciones, cada una correspondiente a una isla del juego y sus respectivos habitantes. El comentario es breve pero preciso, detallando en pocas palabras el porque de cada decisión creativa.
Algo que ya casi no se ve en los artbooks recientes son sketches y diseños previos. Aquí los hay por docenas: los protagonistas, los jefes y hasta los NPC tienen páginas dedicadas al proceso que tomó llegar a la forma final. Uno podría pasar horas admirando cada uno de los dibujos.
Hay también un vistazo al proceso "detrás de cámaras", contado con claridad y con la extensión justa para que la lectura no se haga pesada.
Estoy realmente contento con este libro que fácilmente se ha convertido en uno de mis preferidos y ocupa lugar especial en mi librero. Muchas, muchas gracias a mi gran amigo César por tan increíble regalo.
El libro está organizado en secciones, cada una correspondiente a una isla del juego y sus respectivos habitantes. El comentario es breve pero preciso, detallando en pocas palabras el porque de cada decisión creativa.
Algo que ya casi no se ve en los artbooks recientes son sketches y diseños previos. Aquí los hay por docenas: los protagonistas, los jefes y hasta los NPC tienen páginas dedicadas al proceso que tomó llegar a la forma final. Uno podría pasar horas admirando cada uno de los dibujos.
Hay también un vistazo al proceso "detrás de cámaras", contado con claridad y con la extensión justa para que la lectura no se haga pesada.
Estoy realmente contento con este libro que fácilmente se ha convertido en uno de mis preferidos y ocupa lugar especial en mi librero. Muchas, muchas gracias a mi gran amigo César por tan increíble regalo.
May 28, 2021
The game is impossible. But the art is spectacular. You don't even need to play the game to enjoy this. All you need is an appreciation for old-school animation and some nostalgia for 1930s and '40s era animated classics.
August 10, 2024
As art books go, I would say that I typically look at them as background items, as props, as conversation starters. I have a few of them. Photography books of 1980s train graffiti, of Chernobyl, of video games I love. It wasn’t until this past week that I was finally caught up with all of the books that I received this year (so far) that I was going through the piles of books in my loft (as we move our book collection from one room to another) and saw it sitting in a pile where I said, “let me take a look at what this book actually has on offer.”
I adore Cuphead. I was a huge fan of it when it first came out and it drew a lot of the gameplay from my favorite game of all time: Mega Man 2. The sidescrolling, the boss battles, the constant movement and the difficulty spikes all drew me back to a place that I have always found to be the sweet spot in gaming. There is little narrative, little dialog, only an end-goal and the means in which to accomplish it. Considerably, though, the art style is what drew me to Cuphead over any of the other shmups or platformers. This game looks absolutely gorgeous and has such a characterized and specific look, drawing from 1930s cartoons as inspiration.
This artbook held 264 pages of robust art and drawing and sketches for what ended up in the final game. But the best part of the book overall were the blurbs placed through the book. It made sure to mention each game that inspired it (frequently speaking of Contra and Gunstar Heroes), which explained why and how levels, fights and overworld maps ended up shaping out the way they did. There are also frequent mentions of the specific animated shorts that helped to craft the style of the game. Works like Betty Boop are frequently mentioned along with Merry Melodies and in speaking of the gorgeous watercolor backdrops, they mention classic Disney quite often.
A book I had flipped through a few times when I had it out, but never quite made it front to back, looking at this book through a different lens was such a quiet joy. Again, I loved how this game looked, how it sounded, how it played. It has such an overwhelming feeling about it that was addicting and comforting in equal measure. It’s been a long time since I had my hands in it, so digging into this artbook brought back a great joy not only from getting my mind to revisit my time with the gaming experience, but also in its references to those games, toons and external influences. I knew this game was a labor of love, but having names associated with those positions, seeing art desks and living rooms contributing to the success of the game was marvelous.
Highly recommend this book if you are an art book person AND a fan of games. This book is more visual than verbal, so there isn’t as much to yield from it as a nod to gaming, but if you want to take another walk through a world you’ve conquered and have that sense of nostalgia and stylization wash over you, I encourage you to check it out!
I adore Cuphead. I was a huge fan of it when it first came out and it drew a lot of the gameplay from my favorite game of all time: Mega Man 2. The sidescrolling, the boss battles, the constant movement and the difficulty spikes all drew me back to a place that I have always found to be the sweet spot in gaming. There is little narrative, little dialog, only an end-goal and the means in which to accomplish it. Considerably, though, the art style is what drew me to Cuphead over any of the other shmups or platformers. This game looks absolutely gorgeous and has such a characterized and specific look, drawing from 1930s cartoons as inspiration.
This artbook held 264 pages of robust art and drawing and sketches for what ended up in the final game. But the best part of the book overall were the blurbs placed through the book. It made sure to mention each game that inspired it (frequently speaking of Contra and Gunstar Heroes), which explained why and how levels, fights and overworld maps ended up shaping out the way they did. There are also frequent mentions of the specific animated shorts that helped to craft the style of the game. Works like Betty Boop are frequently mentioned along with Merry Melodies and in speaking of the gorgeous watercolor backdrops, they mention classic Disney quite often.
A book I had flipped through a few times when I had it out, but never quite made it front to back, looking at this book through a different lens was such a quiet joy. Again, I loved how this game looked, how it sounded, how it played. It has such an overwhelming feeling about it that was addicting and comforting in equal measure. It’s been a long time since I had my hands in it, so digging into this artbook brought back a great joy not only from getting my mind to revisit my time with the gaming experience, but also in its references to those games, toons and external influences. I knew this game was a labor of love, but having names associated with those positions, seeing art desks and living rooms contributing to the success of the game was marvelous.
Highly recommend this book if you are an art book person AND a fan of games. This book is more visual than verbal, so there isn’t as much to yield from it as a nod to gaming, but if you want to take another walk through a world you’ve conquered and have that sense of nostalgia and stylization wash over you, I encourage you to check it out!
October 13, 2022
I buddy read this with someone who is obsessed with the game and the cartoon, so it was very fun for me to see their reactions to all of the information. This book is so well done. There is a ton of information and lots of pictures of the process the game and the characters went through to look how they look in the game. I loved all the backstory and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the game.
April 24, 2020
These absolute madlads. They did it! They hand-drew, inked, and animated a 1930s video game to such a high quality that it's hard to summarize. My one takeaway from this? The animators and designers KNEW THEIR REFERENCES. Every single monster, detail, or background had a 1937 cartoon or 1991 SEGA Genesis game that they were basing it on. Absolute madlad details. I am so proud that this game exists and that the art book shares so much of the process and early drafts of characters. This is super inspirational if I ever want to write about something in this era/aesthetic. Which, I probably will.
June 14, 2020
An amazing behind-the-scenes look at my favourite game! The detail, provision, creativity, inventiveness and staggering amount of passion that went into this game is legendary! Beautifully written with amazing photos, sketches and paintings gives the reader a unique insight into the world of Cuphead and the lasting impact it has and will continue to have. This is a must-read!
September 12, 2024
I rated this book highly, but would only recommend it to Cuphead (game) fans (and to a lesser extend to people interested in 1930s era cartoons or (classic) videogames (design)).
I mostly fall in the first category, so I may be biased. The game controls, visuals, soundtrack, coherence, memorability... all were outstanding because of the team's aim for excellence. The book reflects those qualities. It goes through all backgrounds, stages, enemies... and even provides sketches of alternative versions, the reasoning behind them, the creative process, how they evolved and why most were quite unique at least in one aspect.
Why didn't I rate it 5 stars?
- I was disappointed to find lists of game/cartoon references to elements hidden in plain sight (think of "Where's Wally/Waldo?"). There are many, and are specific but still were be followed by comments like "here are just a few, could you find more?". I don't want the feeling of missing out these details when reading this kind of book.
- I didn't like that a few drawings which just seemed grossly-scaled up versions of smaller drawings... if their original size was much smaller... keep it that way, create new cartoons, or polish them out (yeah, those thick black irregular contours).
- A big part of the artwork are in-game sequences of 10-20 frame animations. Initially interesting it ended up feeling a bit like content filler.
I mostly fall in the first category, so I may be biased. The game controls, visuals, soundtrack, coherence, memorability... all were outstanding because of the team's aim for excellence. The book reflects those qualities. It goes through all backgrounds, stages, enemies... and even provides sketches of alternative versions, the reasoning behind them, the creative process, how they evolved and why most were quite unique at least in one aspect.
Why didn't I rate it 5 stars?
- I was disappointed to find lists of game/cartoon references to elements hidden in plain sight (think of "Where's Wally/Waldo?"). There are many, and are specific but still were be followed by comments like "here are just a few, could you find more?". I don't want the feeling of missing out these details when reading this kind of book.
- I didn't like that a few drawings which just seemed grossly-scaled up versions of smaller drawings... if their original size was much smaller... keep it that way, create new cartoons, or polish them out (yeah, those thick black irregular contours).
- A big part of the artwork are in-game sequences of 10-20 frame animations. Initially interesting it ended up feeling a bit like content filler.
April 27, 2024
Took my sweet time reading this and really enjoyed the experience. While it was really interesting reading about the breakdown of each boss/island, I wish there was more of the book devoted to the actual behind the scenes production.
The latter chapters talking about the techniques and processes used to create the art I found particularly intriguing and was left wanting more, but that’s undoubtedly fed by my interest in comics and animation in general.
Despite that small criticism, this is a must-have for any fans of the game and it’s an utter joy to continue to flip through and just take in the artwork on display.
The latter chapters talking about the techniques and processes used to create the art I found particularly intriguing and was left wanting more, but that’s undoubtedly fed by my interest in comics and animation in general.
Despite that small criticism, this is a must-have for any fans of the game and it’s an utter joy to continue to flip through and just take in the artwork on display.
September 9, 2020
Cuphead recently came to my car (Tesla) and it’s taken the family by storm. This book does a great job breaking down the game’s beautiful art and influences and has allowed me to talk about how inspiration works and introduce cartoons and music from the 30’s to my kids (6 & 4) along the way.
There are quite a few typos throughout which are made worse by the author’s love of using superfluously obscure/lengthy words. I may not have noticed them as much if I hadn’t been reading it aloud but they really break up the flow of thoughts. There are even seem to be missing the subject entirely.
There are quite a few typos throughout which are made worse by the author’s love of using superfluously obscure/lengthy words. I may not have noticed them as much if I hadn’t been reading it aloud but they really break up the flow of thoughts. There are even seem to be missing the subject entirely.
January 5, 2022
What a blast to see all the inspiration and process it took to bring Cuphead to life. Really enjoyed learning about all the 1930s era specific cartoons that influenced the game. As well seeing the design process was fantastic. Love how a simple sketch can through line all the way to final production.
My only docking on this art book is that the format is a bit repetitive and sort of boring to read through, it functions better as a coffee table book that you pick up at random. Also caught a few typos.
Going to look up how to draw rubber hose sketches now.
My only docking on this art book is that the format is a bit repetitive and sort of boring to read through, it functions better as a coffee table book that you pick up at random. Also caught a few typos.
Going to look up how to draw rubber hose sketches now.
July 12, 2024
Exceptional Art book showcasing the development of the videogame Cuphead. The artwork is so beautifully arranged in every page and the details are so filled with information that the reader will fall in love with it the more pages they will turn. Throughout the book, the development of the game is explained in such a manner that it seems like you are reading a story not a book about information. There are also a lot of hidden details in the game that were explained in the book and that every person who played Cuphead will enjoy as it adds to the depth that the game has.
August 16, 2025
I absolutely loved being able to learn about each and every point of artistic inspiration for the game! The discussion about the animation and painting process was interesting and enlightening. There were times I felt the commentary was a bit repetitive, but I just skipped over those parts and looked at the sketches and animation frames instead. I would love for MDHR and Kristofer Maddigan to put out a similar book about the soundtrack. They did such an amazing job with this book that I really think they could do the soundtrack justice.
September 7, 2024
Not to say that art isn’t a major factor in every game, nor to put down other artists who work on games that are not as stylized, but Cuphead is most definitely deserving of an art book.
The game itself is (least to say) difficult. So you don’t always have a chance to admire the hard work and artistic talent put into this game. And this book puts it all on full display, as well as going into the all the details that reference classic cartoons and video games.
The game itself is (least to say) difficult. So you don’t always have a chance to admire the hard work and artistic talent put into this game. And this book puts it all on full display, as well as going into the all the details that reference classic cartoons and video games.
August 21, 2020
The Cuphead art book is a surprisingly intriguing read. Unlike most art books which are just page-for-page galleries with brief descriptions (fair enough), the Cuphead one really goes in-depth about the inspirations and production. Definitely get your mitts on it, even if you might not be the biggest fan of the game itself but love the art style.
February 27, 2023
A fantastic buy if you're a fan of the game. Shares a lot of interesting details about levels and bosses that you can't find anywhere else. It's always cool to see concept art for pieces of media. The only gripe I have is that it doesn't really spill the beans when it comes to DLC content. Besides that small hiccup though, this is a swell purchase if you're a die hard fan like me.
October 1, 2025
Very interesting look at how the world of Cuphead was created! I loved the peek behind the scenes and knowing how much work went into the creation of this gem of a game.
Generally it was well laid out, but I found the ending sudden and I would have liked some more personal anecdotes from the staff/artists in this.
Generally it was well laid out, but I found the ending sudden and I would have liked some more personal anecdotes from the staff/artists in this.
April 20, 2020
I loved the book! I didn’t even realize that there were hidden bosses in the game! I loved reading about the inspirations they the game drew from. I already loved the game, but this book made me love it even more. If you are a fan of the game, then you need this book in your life.
December 10, 2020
Highly recommend this book to anyone who liked or loved the game. As soon as I started the game it instantly became one of my favorites, and this book enriches the entire experience with beautiful illustrations and explanations of every character.
May 24, 2021
Fantastic Artbook with really nice spreads displaying some of the best videogame art in modern history. Very interesting tidbits on the games creation and process from its creators. An inspiring piece for any Cuphead fan. Hats off to their creative team.
January 6, 2022
Fantastic art. Loved the respect they had for their artists, the art/technical process, and their sources of inspiration, mostly video games and primary sources of the 1930’s. Also it was a fun game I remember playing with my boyfriend.
December 16, 2022
Beautiful! There's a lot of content presented on this book that wasn't included in the game. It was interesting to see the design choices and why some content was cut out.
I loved the artwork and the explanations of the process while making some levels made me appreciate the game a lot more.
I loved the artwork and the explanations of the process while making some levels made me appreciate the game a lot more.
December 27, 2019
A visually stunning inside look behind the scenes of Cuphead. A must-have for any fan of the game. Beautiful artwork and insight into making Cuphead come to life.
May 20, 2020
It was a great book.
August 25, 2020
Great animation of the game 5/5
November 28, 2020
Breathtaking. Must-read for anyone endeared by 30s cartoons and pure art created by mountains of hard work and research.
November 6, 2021
Великолепный артбук для поклонников этого шедевра!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews