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Is there really a Cuphead easy mode? The legendary game Cuphead, as we know it, harks back to a potent generation of ambitious indie breakthroughs. Yes, back in good old 2017, it was released on Steam and Xbox with others after for our joy–and perhaps torment. Incidentally, this is the main, if not the only, game to ever really nail down the vintage hand-drawn style with such success. The first time I’d ever seen it, I imagined it not just as maybe being one of the greatest games ever made, but also as a fulfillment I’d desired for years of being immersed in this art style of Betty Boop and the bonkers era of 1920s animation. I was all ready to play it for several years. The only problem is… I’m a casual gamer. Cuphead is notoriously unforgiving in its difficulty, and everybody knows that. I’d really just about given up on it for the most part, until I had a realization of how I could play. That’s why I’m going to show you how I solved that problem, BY CHEATING! I cheated with a mod. Here we go.

Table of Contents

If you’re wondering what Cuphead is beyond this aesthetic write-up, let me explain it. There is a main game and a DLC, both products from the brilliant minds of Studio MDHR. The main game is actually titled Cuphead “Don’t Deal With the Devil”. It’s a 2D platformer enemy hell–that’s just what they call these games. The game immerses you with unique moving obstacles and super hard bosses that usually require multiple attempts to beat. You can shoot little magic bullets out of your hand ad infinitum and jump around like a nut to take on bosses and run courses. The game has a scandalous plot about two cartoon characters with cups for heads settling a debt they have at the Devil’s Casino. Everything creative about the game balances light fun gameplay with some fiendish storytelling–half cup empty/half cup full, if you will. I won’t get much into the DLC expansion, but there is one, and it’s called The Delicious Last Course, involving a great character from the original game, Ms. Chalice.

Anyway, the game really is insanely difficult for the casual player, which some of us simply don’t have time for. Or maybe you want to explore the art style and story of the game without having to die 500 million times. My reason was the game was on sale for a historic low the other day and I couldn’t turn down this classic. So, let’s stop poking around and get to the gameplay–with mods…

Scenes I Encountered Within an Hour Using Cuphead “Easy Mode”

1. Getting Our Cuphead Easy Mode Mod From Our Good Old Friend Nexus Mods

I have found mods for Stardew Valley and Astroneer on Nexus Mods, and it has been pretty simple. Mods are submitted by players and ranked, rated, and categorized. If you’re really totally new to mods, this is a great place to start. To download the mods from Nexus Mods, you need to set up a free account, but I’ve never had any problems with it.

Anyway, here is the mod I used for this review called Assist Mode. There are other cheat mods, but this one is subtle enough that the game still has some challenges. It’s based on the assist mode in Celeste, a great indie prized on its accessibility for many gameplay styles. I advise you to use good judgment and common sense when downloading mod software since you’re literally letting somebody install third-party stuff on your system. Like I said though, I never had any problems.

The Assist Mode mod used to enable Easy Mode is available here: https://www.nexusmods.com/cuphead/mods/2

The mod page should look like the image above. The description on this page says everything you need to do. I wasn’t able to utilize the Vortex client from Nexus to install it, but a copy of WinRAR should be sufficient.

2. Install Instructions

1. Download the mod file from Nexus
2. Unpack the file and put the files in your Steam directory: “C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\Steamapps\common\Cuphead”
   (The mod contains four files/folders:
   • BepInEx/
   • doorstop_Config.ini
   • README.txt
   • winhttp.dll
3. After this, the cuphead folder should look like the one below.
4. Launch the game and the mod enhancements will be applied to the game automatically.

3. What the Assist Mode Mod Enables

The Assist Mode mod works like this. Initially, the main characters have 3 HP (Health Points) and that’s it. If you get hit three times you’re out. With the mod, you get 3 more HP for a total of 6 HP. Plus, you get a 1.5x time increase in your attack damage. Additionally, you get 60 gold to do with what you please, my suggestion is to get a “chaser” weapon ability. This is the best firing mode in the game because it chases your enemies without aiming. There’s also a charm called “smoke bomb,” which allows you to maintain invincibility when you dash–pretty useful.

The Game Cuphead Itself

Playing with the mod is pretty straightforward. Usually dying is a constant frustration that has led people to develop anger management issues at the game for being upstaged by a Betty Boop cartoon. These developers are just laughing their way to the bank, aren’t they? The game is fairly enjoyable with this modification though. I thought it was interesting how many different obstacles there were, beautifully animated to be deliciously consumed as gameplay, sometimes for mere seconds of the game.

The bosses are based on various tropes, archetypes, and legends that I at times think became torturously complex for the sole purpose of creating joyful drawing time for the artists. All of that said, the game is pretty darn pleasant actually. I enjoyed timing my invincibility dashes and finding the perfect angels to deploy my determinative bullet beams at the eye-widening ideas of this crazy title.

Additionally, I’m not totally sure, but it seemed like when I played as Mughead instead of Cuphead, certain levels were a lot easier too. Cuphead is all visual, and although the dialogue is pretty great too, its nature to simplify the story to devilishly charming cut-scenes is pretty great. I am still working my way through world isle 3, but you know what, I am having a blast!

Enjoy Your Time in Cuphead!

As you can see, this mod allows you to play the game while still providing a little bit of challenge–and of course FUN. There are other mods that make you a juggernaut, it’s funny but not conducive to meaningful gameplay. I don’t know if the developers would really be thrilled at such a form of their creation, but I think this mod is a great way to learn how to play the game without any assistance because you can learn how the weapons, charms, levels, and bosses work.

There are some levels that are actually really challenging even with the mod, plus I was only able to complete the first two world areas in the course of two whole hours! If you decide you want to play the game without the assist mode mod, you can disable it at any time by pressing the F1 key. Cuphead is a really fantastic game. The art styles are so inspired and perfect that it feels like it’s being illustrated by a supernatural force just to react with you at the moment. The music is the same way–it reacts to what you’re doing and where you are, not to mention it’s really high energy and nostalgically accurate for this era-inspired creative style.

Whether you mod or just want to play the game, the game is really high quality and offers content that can be enjoyed for years. Yes, that’s right, years. Thanks for checking out this tutorial/review at MrDavePizza.com