Unlike many video games, the characters, items and other sprites were drawn using traditional cel and ink animation methods, then colored using Photoshop. The backgrounds were hand-painted using watercolors (just as cartoons were made in the 1930s) and then scanned.
It was originally planned for release in 2015, but was moved to 2017 to avoid competing with other games that year.
The fights against Djimmi the Great and the Devil feature constantly rotating models of Egyptian ruins and a medieval tower in the background, respectively. This is a reference to Fleischer Studios' "Tabletop Process," in which cels were placed in front of a rotating scale model to create detailed three-dimensional backgrounds.
Cuphead pays tribute to the cartoon art of the 1930s. Abstract and Surrealist styles.
Cuphead and Mugman's gloves are usually seen as white. However, when the player gets the results, the brothers' gloves are yellow.
The Moldenhauer Brothers first had the idea for a video game reminiscent of Cuphead in the early 2000s; however, at that time they did not have the resources to produce the game, and so they waited until the 2010s, when the technology needed for the game finally became available to them.
The game has since been ported to Tesla cars.
Chad Moldenhauer described Max Fleischer's works as the 'magnetic north' of his art style. He also stated that he wanted to imitate the 'subversive and surrealist' nature of Fleischer's work.
The Moldenhauer Brothers were primarily inspired by the works of Walt Disney and Max Fleischer; among these are Mickey Mouse and Oswald Rabbit (the designs of Cuphead and Mugman were inspired by these characters), Betty Boop (Cala Maria is based on her figure) and Popeye (Captain Brineybeard, a boss in the game, was inspired by Bluto's appearance in the 1936 Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor). Sailor).
King Properties Syndicate holds the sales rights to the game. Coincidentally, they are also the publishers of the original Popeye comics that formed the basis of Fleischer's 1930s cartoons.
Some early concept drawings of Djimmi the Great depicted the character initially as a woman.
Cuphead's in-game music features live jazz and big band music recorded by a 17-piece orchestra, enhancing the vintage feel.
The bosses in Cuphead are some of the most challenging aspects, and each is designed with unique attack patterns inspired by classic games and cartoons.
The game's development took more than seven years; a small team of about a dozen people worked tirelessly to perfect the visuals and gameplay.
Cuphead's art style is largely inspired by 1930s Fleischer and Disney cartoons, and all animations were hand-drawn on paper, then scanned and digitally colored.
The character Cuphead was originally designed to have a cigar in his mouth, paying tribute to the style of the earliest cartoons, but this was later removed to keep the game family-friendly.