CUPHEAD & BOOM BOOM! SYRAH
Guys...Cuphead might be my game of the year. The incredible animation, the perfectly polished fighting mechanics, and the simple yet humorous plot points all add up to one heck of a game. For those of you who don't know, Cuphead was designed to emulate old-timey traditional rubber hose animation of yester-year. The design is spot on and really falls in line with all of the old Disney and Fleischer cartoons of the 30's. This combined with the fact that the game revolves around a continuous series of boss fights makes Cuphead an extremely unqiue game. I have to admit that I was skeptical of Cuphead at first. I'm usually not one to balk at video game hype, but all of the love and excitement over Cuphead made me suspicious. I booted up the game, sure that it would be one of those things I opened up once and would never go back to...but with that very first boss...I actually found myself smiling widely and laughing out loud because the animations and interactions were THAT enjoyable. It's rare that you feel that sort of connection and pleasure from a game, and Cuphead provided me with hours of worth entertainment from beginning to end. I loved every single boss encounter. I loved every run and gun level. When I got to the semi-final boss and his roulette table of minions I felt overjoyed and impressed at such a fun and unique mechanic. I sunk so many hours into this game, perfecting my timing and memory of each battle in order to progress...and it was SO satisfying. Please, if you haven't tried Cuphead yet, just give it a shot. It's a true gem. Even if it proves too challenging for your tastes...just gaze upon the eye candy that is the world of Cuphead.
When I first started thinking about a pairing for Cuphead...I thought...should I do something unique for such a unique game? Maybe I should attempt a wine cocktail? This resulted in me making an extremely delicious New York Sours...but in the end the red wine that I had bought to make the sours with packed such a wallop that I knew it was the perfect pairing for Cuphead on its own. Boom Boom! Syrah's complexity and tannins are perfectly paired with Cuphead. Notes of dark berries, dark chocolate, and earth accompany each sip. The pleasant layering of earthiness and even a little bit of tar is such a nice compliment to the unforgiving nature of Cuphead. I loved taking a sip of this wine in between fights, and allowing the flavors to sit on my tongue for a moment as I prepared for yet another trial. And I absolutely love the label and name for this wine, I feel like it really fits with the theme of Cuphead. Just don't drink too much, or you'll never make it through all of those contracts!
Have you tried Cuphead? Did you make it through to the end? What was your favorite boss?