Inkwell Isle One

Lore & Background

Inkwell Isle One is the first of four worlds in Cuphead, each housing its own set of boss fights and run and gun levels. The game follows Cuphead and Mugman, two fun-loving brothers who live under the watchful eye of Elder Kettle. Against his warnings, they wander off to the Devil's Casino and begin playing craps. After a winning streak, the Devil offers a deal: all the money in the casino if they win the next roll, or their souls if they lose. Cuphead accepts but loses by rolling snake eyes. The Devil offers another deal: collect the soul contracts from his runaway debtors by midnight the next day, and he might spare them. After returning home, Elder Kettle gives the brothers a potion that allows them to fire blasts of energy from their fingers and warns that the debtors may not willingly turn in their soul contracts. The brothers then travel across Inkwell Isle, fighting debtors to obtain their contracts.

In Their Own Story

The brothers begin their journey on Inkwell Isle One, fighting debtors to collect their soul contracts. As they enter the second sector of the island, Elder Kettle notices the duo is getting stronger from their battles and urges them to make the right choice when they meet the Devil. After Cuphead and Mugman enter the third sector, King Dice, the Devil's right-hand man, reports the brothers' progress to his boss and says he is suspicious of their intentions. The Devil replies that if the brothers were to try anything, he would be ready for them. The brothers eventually collect all of the soul contracts and return to the Devil's Casino. King Dice stops them, saying their success has caused him to lose a bet. In retaliation, he sets up an extended casino-style battle. After defeating King Dice, the brothers confront the Devil, who tries to tempt them. If they refuse, the Devil battles them. Cuphead and Mugman defeat the Devil, incinerate the contracts, and return home. The former debtors honor the brothers for their heroism as everyone celebrates.

Reader's Guide

Inkwell Isle One is the first world in Cuphead, housing the game's initial boss fights and run and gun levels. Each is housed in one of four worlds, with the final fight against the Devil (has 3 phases). Each boss fight includes simple, regular, and expert difficulty modes (except for the final two bosses, which lack a simple mode). Defeating a boss on regular mode is required to progress through the game and unlocks expert mode for that particular level. Most boss battles take place on land, although some involve player characters piloting aeroplanes and play like a side-scrolling shoot 'em up. The game includes role-playing elements and a branching level sequence. Player characters have infinite lives, maintaining all equipment between deaths. Equippable weapons and special abilities, referred to as Charms, can be purchased from Porkrind's Emporium using coins found in levels and the overworld. After completing a level, players are ranked with a grade based on performance, determined by time taken, hit points left, number of parried attacks, and number of times part of the super meter was used, in addition to level difficulty. The levels are accessible through a top-down overworld perspective, each with its own secret areas. The game has a two-player local cooperative mode, in which either player character can return to the game after being killed if the one parries the other's soul before it rises off the screen.

Did You Know?

• Inkwell Isle One is the first of four worlds in Cuphead, each housing boss fights and run and gun levels.
• The brothers begin their journey here after losing a craps game to the Devil by rolling snake eyes.
• Elder Kettle gives the brothers a potion that allows them to fire blasts of energy from their fingers before they set out.
• Coins found in levels and the overworld on Inkwell Isle One can be used to purchase equipment from Porkrind's Emporium.
• The game's overworld perspective is top-down, and each level on the island has its own secret areas.