In all the excitement from this year’s Summer Games Fest and other new game showcases this June, you might remember an announcement being made that two new Cuphead games were in development by the creators of the award winning original game, Studio MDHR. The first is a new, hand-drawn adventure very much like the beloved original game, which is still a ways away in development as of this writing. The other game, which is clearly much closer to completion, is an 8-bit spin-off called Mighty Cuphead Adventure, but what might not be apparent right away is that this is a Master System game, not an NES game as many were quick to assume. (Pay close attention to the console and controllers in the above trailer.)
We could hardly believe it ourselves, but it’s true. Mighty Cuphead Adventure is coming soon as a game you can play on your Master System or anything else compatible with Master System games. It will also be available on modern consoles and PC as well, but the small team working on this at Studio MDHR is making it as a Master System game first and foremost in Assembly code. They’re also committing to an eventual physical cartridge release for original Master System consoles and compatible consoles.
Sounds pretty crazy, and the best part is that this was a longstanding dream for the Cuphead developers, which they never gave up on. To find out more, pour a cup of your favorite beverage and adventure on past the break to see what I mean.
Here’s what the studio had to say on their website for Mighty Cuphead Adventure:
Now in development at Studio MDHR, it’s… Mighty Cuphead Adventure! That’s right: this is a brand-new, riveting Cuphead video game that will bring the most advanced 8-bit action platforming to life on your television set in 32 dazzling colors.
Programmed in Assembly Language, Mighty Cuphead Adventure is designed with the precise, authentic specifications of the Sega Master System home gaming console. While the game will still be compatible with modern consoles and personal computers, those who want a true blast from the past can experience it on a physical cartridge for the Sega Master System home gaming console. They just don’t make ’em like they used to…until we decided to!
Not many developers working on games for old consoles will go as far as to code it in Assembly language. That’s the programming language used back in the day for most games on Master System, Genesis/Mega-Drive, Game Gear, and other consoles from the time. There are also methods for developing games on old consoles using contemporary programming languages like C today, so use of Assembly is rare today, though not unheard of. To use Assembly really adds to the game’s authenticity, putting developers closer to the experience developers had before the turn of the millennium.
Their pursuit of authenticity makes sense though, as a Master System spin-off of Cuphead was actually a dream project for Cuphead’s developers going back over a decade ago, before the flagship Cuphead game even released. They’ve even talked about it in the SMSPower forums way back in 2014, now a dozen years ago, and have even updated that very same forum thread with news of Mighty Cuphead Adventure’s announcement. Nice of them to update the Master System homebrew community, in case at least one person there was looking forward to it this whole time.
For now, no release date has been announced for either Mighty Cuphead Adventure or the new modern Cuphead game currently in development. As far as Mighty Cuphead Adventure goes, you’ll hear more about it right here on SegaBits when there is more to report. In the meantime, let us know in the comments below if you’re excited to try out this new high profile Master System game. Will you be picking up a cartridge and playing on your Master System, or will you prefer to play on a modern platform or PC? If you’ve played Cuphead before, are you a fan? Is it harder than Labyrinth Zone Act 3 in Sonic the Hedgehog? Don’t be shy in the comments, now.
