Magical 2D Platformer Enchanted Portals Accused Of Being A Cuphead Clone

To be fair, this game does have some pretty creative concepts for bosses, but I can't deny that a lot of the animations and patterns are downright traced from Cuphead

I think it's great they're openly admitting that it's inspired by cuphead and there's nothing wrong with that.

Imitation is the best form of Flattery.

I don't see a problem, it's inspired and that's nothing new these days. The game is different enough imo.

EDIT: nevermindlol I just saw the trailer. wow.
Original Comment: it's derivative, but not a clone.
Fast RMX isn't an F-Zero clone. Final Fantasy isn't a Dragon Quest clone. Spyro isn't a Crash clone.
it's similar styles in a similar genre.
it's lazy, but not plagiarism.

They could have differentiated it a bit more, but it looks fun enough in its own right. I’ll give it a try, if it gets released.

Edit: Also, this game would definitely not made this big of a splash if not for this whole “copycat” controversy. This will ultimately work for their favor because more people know about the game now.

There is no problem. Only the usual whiny internet people do. The ones that like to not like.

People saying this isn't a clone deeply upset me. You can put different jewelry on a clone but this has the same bones, skin, hair and makeup as Cuphead.
It's. A. Clone.
The devs may love Cuphead and may even be deeply inspired by Cuphead but that's no excuse to copy their formula and their style and cash in on customers who just want more Cuphead. It's repulsive.
If Cuphead were an invention this would be illegal.
If Cuphead were a song this would be illegal.
But for some reason game artists can be copied into Oblivion and those who wish to defend the original and demand creative originality are just "whiners", FFS.

I admire their bravery and determination to sacrifice their time for this when they knew they'd get crap for it being too similar to Cuphead. I wouldn't take such a risk. I wouldn't be even able to put my heart to it. I probably wouldn't even feel ok making something so heavily inspired on other people's work because it wouldn't feel entirely mine and original.

I mean, it's not like Cuphead was the first to conceptualize this art style for gameplay.

https://youtu.be/NyFfR6VLKYg?t=71

They were just the best at executing on the idea.

You guys just posted an article yesterday dubbing this a Cuphead-like.

This game is nothing but Cuphead with a different Theme. Inspiration is one thing. But this is a complete knock off. And I bet 90% of the stages are straight Bullet Sponge Boss Battles. I got bored with Cuphead after killing a handful of bosses. It started to feel like a chore. You guys have fun with it if this is your thing. I'm going to pass.

@CharlieGirl I feel like Spyro and Crash are the odd one out there...they're kind of extremely distinct from one another, at least gameplay wise

Hey everyone all games more or less copy each other. Like BOTW has open world and other games have this as well. So will they cry fowl on this as well? This is a cheap shot if anything. If it wasn't a good seller they wouldn't make stink about it.

I’ll support both games being a fan of the style and run n gun gameplay. shrug

@Obito_Sigma nobody owns a formula otherwise there'd be alot of sueing in the horror genre lol

As far as ripoffs go, it looks like a damn good one.

And hey, maybe this one won’t require obsessive memorization to be able to beat or will actually let you play the whole game on easy.

this is a confusing subject, sure it's soooooooo similar but it took effort and if you compare 2 indie games it's a weirder argument, we already had our 8/16/32 bit revitalization and a review for a rubber hose style game was posted just yesterday.

idk, i think it could lead to something cool in the future.

Yeah looks like a pale imitation of cuphead. It is unimaginative and also possibly attempting to cash in on purchases from I'll informed parents who think it is the game it emulates. Other than those gripes, it seems like a lot of work for someone to then have their labors dismissed as a clone. A lot of the animation looks good but not as good as cuphead.

I have no problem with them taking a lot of inspiration from a popular game as most games do that. I’m just disappointed that the trailer didn’t present anything new. Hopefully there will be more to differentiate it later.

Honestly, being inspired by a game isn’t a bad thing. That’s like saying Yooka-Laylee is a Banjo clone. Both of those games have a few similarities like the gameplay it was based on, the transformations, even the main character. But YL was inspired by BK. And that’s not a bad thing. As for this game, it looks fine. Yes it does have some similarities to Cuphead(definitely the music) but it’s inspired by Cuphead, so that’s not a bad thing. Only complaint I have about this game is that the animations aren’t as smooth as Cuphead’s. But the game looks fine.

Steamboat Willy is just laughing it all off.

@PBandSmelly I agree. You can't own an art style. In fact Cuphead was based upon a previous popular animation style anyways, so the amount of anger some have seems unjustified. Especially when so many get excited when someone tries to make a Nintendo clone and get mad for Nintendo shutting them down. I for one am not a fan of this art style so I'll probably stay away from both this and Cuphead. But I hope people have fun with both.

Who cares? If its fun, play it, if its not, don't.

It’s like a spiritual successor like Yooka Laylee or Bloodstained...

But, unlike most spiritual successors it’s based off a non dead franchise. Cuphead will be receiving new content soon while Castlevania is long dead.

And Cuphead is a Contra clone with a 30s cartoon facelifet. If the game is solid, there's plenty of room for it. Especially with the actual Contra taking the turn for the worse...

Plus it looks like we get to battle Beethoven. Ever since Time Squad I've been all for that.

I say as long as the game isn't 90% boss battles, go for it.

Yeah it looks like a kind of bland version of Cuphead. Too bad since I’ve realized I loved the art style of Cuphead more than the gameplay. It didn’t have enough unique and funny interactions for a game based on 1930s cartoons. It ultimately doesn’t match the beauty and creativity of its inspiration, since I don’t know of an cartoon character that shoots lasers for extended periods out their fingertips. Same with these magicians in this game.

The artwork doesn't seem to be as consistent as Cuphead. Cuphead stayed close to classic 30s cartoons like Popeye or Felix the Cat, but Enchanted Portals looks more modern at times, especially the background that has a house with a satellite dish.

I saw comparisons on TRAFON's Twitter and yeah it's definitely a clone.

At first I said, " here we go again, more people complaining about nonsense. The game is probabaly nothing like cuphead other than some minor similarities."
watches trailer
Boy...was I wrong.

@HobbitGamer Steamboat Willy a clone of Steamboat Willie? 😜

@NotTelevision
Not to defend this game too much, but if you look closely, you can see that the playable characters are using wands (modern magician wands, but it's something).

@Toy_Link Yeah I noticed that as well. I was referring to Cuphead and Mugman shooting lasers out of their fingertips, not these characters who appear to be wizards or magicians.

My point is that it just isn’t funny to fire projectiles at enemies for extended periods. The best cartoons are engineered front to back, to be funny and unpredictable. Run n’ gun gameplay doesn’t lend itself well to that.

Didn't see that coming

@NotTelevision
Sorry must've misread that, I know I've seen a few people think the wizards are using their fingers to fire projectiles just like in Cuphead.

Well, that art- and side scrolling style is how old? Older than a lot of peoples grandparents. Now, just because of an ancient artstyle you can't just call something a clone. That would make 99% of all games clones. Same mechanics? Pls, how many new mechanics do we get every year?

I don't get why people are so angry. I mean it's not stealing assets, music or art from Cuphead. All bosses look original.
It's just not very creative.

It's totally fair legally to use someone else's idea, you know.

You guys must have it tough every year when CoD and Battlefield comes out.

The thing here isn't just the similar art style, but also the similar gameplay. The source of inspiration is obvious.

@Zimon No one's arguing this from a legal perspective, only an ethical one. Military shooter clones are still gross, but not nearly as bad because (ignoring that CoD and BF are made by AAA studios,) the market is already oversaturated by that genre and style. It practically begs for derivatives. Case in point: Splatoon and even Morphie's Law.

But creations that have a specific, undeniable brand make the copycats stand out all the more, which makes them feel far more cheap.

Above all else, money makes the difference. It's a rough tear, because hard work should be compensated, but what's essentially plagarism shouldn't be rewarded. If they released it for free and opened for donations, it'd feel far less gross than trying to sell the game outright.

Cuphead is just a Fleicher /HarmonIsing style ripoff. But that's great . Its just an old turn of last century style like art nouveu (sp) but they were the first to use it in a game.

It looks like a lesser version of Cuphead.

The people that are saying that it isn't a clone need to get their eyes checked.

So what if is a Cuphead clone? We have so many Zelda clones, Metroid clones, Castlevania clones, Minecraft clones (those are horrible), PUBG clones, Mario Kart clones, etcetera etcetera!
Point is they should be allowed to create what inspired them just like every other artist out there who create digital art, music, and even videos with concept that was originally created by someome else is nothing new. As the saying goes "imitation is the best flattery" and for obvious reasons, they took the style of Cuphead as inspiration to create something new as has been a common practice for basically since the dawn of artistic time.

Is fine if people want to get mad and hate, they have the right to their own opinions, but a portion of those people need to at least be more mature about how they express it or else they just make themselves look and sound like haterade addicted whiners....

The backlash is asinine. If I was a fan of Cuphead, I'd be thrilled about this game.

Very nice art and animation work. Good luck to them

Just like Cuphead it looks like it's just Boss fights, that makes it a big no thanks from me.
Love the art style of both of these, but put a bit of character and platforming, then I might be interested.

There is nothing wrong in using this art style, but make a different style of game. I don't see the point in pouring your time and hard work into something that already exists and is very famous due to it's unique style. I have said it again and i will say it now, if you wan't to make a really great game utilising this art style that will set the world on fire make a new Ghouls N Ghosts type game. it would be simply amazing.

@Fazermint Why? I'm not the biggest Cuphead fan but i didn enjoy it, but i honestly have no inclination to play a seemingly clone title that perhaps isn't going to be as good. Utilise the art style sure but make a different game with it.

The problem is not that it has the same artstyle, but it has the same artstyle and seemingly gameplay at the same time.

@DTFaux And what precisely is unethical here? You're accusing the creators of this game of plagiarism, but what are they plagiarizing exactly?
The art style? The creators of Cuphead "stole" it from old Max Fleischer cartoons.
The music style? Same.
The idea of using those in a video game? I don't think that's true either, as the 2d segments in Epic Mickey already did something very similar. And that's just an example off the top of my head.
The idea of using that animation and music style in a Contra clone? Well, that could be the only totally original aspect of Cuphead, as far as I know.
So why all that blatant "stealing" is totally OK in the case of Cuphead, and evil plagiarism in the case of Enchanted Portals? Just because the creators of Cuphead added one probably novel idea to a mix almost completely made up of borrowed ingredients?
And please understand that I'm not trying to attack the creators of Cuphead. They borrowed elements from previous works, as all creators have done since the beginning of time.

And in other news, Konami are accused of ripping off EA with their PES games.

@YANDMAN That is a strange mindset to have. I wish my favorite games had more directly inspired works.

A message for them: Do you want to avoid hate? Just make the game a REAL Run & Gun! Like Contra/Probotector. Make it the way so many people wanted Cuphead to be. And low the difficulty, so it's more for anyone.
Make it different, so it feels unique in its own way. It's alright if you want to use a similar art style, but then make the core of the game different, otherwise people will just go and buy the original.

These main character designs are way lazier than Cuphead, and he's just a cup on Mickey Mouse's body.

@SpaceboyScreams Actually, no.
Cuphead is nothing like an ‘invention or song’. Cuphead did not invent the side scrolling shooter, nor did it invent cartoon visuals. It combined them.
There are countless ‘clones’ of games like Mario and Zelda. But their existence has zero ill effect on the original—if anything, clones only serve to highlight the high quality of the originals.

I am willing to bet that the Cuphead devs are actually impressed by this game, because they appreciate how muck work goes into creating new and unique characters and animations. Something which you obviously take completely for granted.

I think this looks really good. More games like Cuphead are a good thing.

And to call this ‘disgusting’ reeks of ignorance.

@Aerona Less talented artists or less resources do not equate ‘laziness.’

And by all means, demonstrate how easy it is to create original characters. You seem to think that decent animation just happens by itself. It does not.

I actually like how this looks and will definitely buy it if it ever comes out.

If this game is good I will play it.

@PiXeLSteF EXACTLY 😂

What would everyone do if they didn’t have the internet to complain about EVERYTHING?

@Fazermint Not at all, i just don't want to play seemingly the same game again, nor do i understand why you would put so much hard work into making one. This art style is beautiful and could be used in so many other styles that would make it fresh and appealing.

Reminds me of the cheap soulless knockoffs Gameloft was making during the early iPhone years.

Yeah - the likeless goes way beyond the similar but lesser art-style. I get someone trying to give us, from instance, a new Castlevania because Konami seems uninterested, or a Wipeout/F-Zero-like game on consoles that may never get them. But generally these games do end up having their own flavour and feel like respectful homages. But this one seems shameless and dam-right cheeky. I feel it's also too early to be apeing this one.

I'm gonna say the backlash is not only to be expected, but in this case is deserved.

That doesn't mean that I think Cuphead's devs have some sort of monopoly on this artstyle btw. I think more games (of various genres) could use the 30s styling - if they can't put in the time for a unique look. But this particular game feels like it's being disrespectful in it's likeness. This isn't 'the highest from of flattery' imo.

It's quite literally 'Taking the Mickey', but I agree that doesn't justify hate talk.

@SalvorHardin Just mentioned Gameloft's soulless knockoffs and I couldn't agree more that they are in danger of a similarly profitable but horrible business model.

My biggest concern is the distinct lack of platforms for what is called a 2D platformer...

Just because it’s using the same art style as cup head doesn’t make it a rip off. That’s the problem nowadays most games look the same anyway!!

Gemini Game?

Comment requires more letersssssss

@SalvorHardin they are still making them Asphalt xtreme = motorstorm

@I_member They would potentially be productive members of society that actually contributed something positive to the world other than negative. Or maybe they would just continue to be negative in different ways.

This is as much as a clone as Burning fight is a clone to Final Fight... well here at least they changed the theme.

It's is a run n gun with old cartoon visuals and instrumental music sounds. I havnt played Cuphed so I cant tell if the levels or bosses are copies. However, I have never played cuphead because although i liked the art I did not like the theme. So I am more likely to try this new game than Cuphead.

All that said... The feel and the gameplay are all that really matters. If the art, music, and genere are the same as Cuphead but the feel is better... Then it is no clone, it is just a progress on the genere. And if the gameplay i worse... Than its just a lazy copy.

At the end what makes a game a game is its gameplay.

Looks cool to me

It's not just games, of course. This is the pattern that takes place in every kind of entertainment product. Movies, TV, music, comics, etc. These fields are mostly putting out variations on what has already succeeded (because the companies bankrolling the projects are looking to chase proven formulas), but every now and then something a bit more unique breaks through and gets attention. Then it sparks its own imitators that were either inspired by its style or are looking to repeat its success.

Cuphead wasn't likely to cause as much of a wave of imitators as Super Mario Bros or Super Mario 64 did, but it looks like it's getting at least one very direct one. It doesn't mean it'll be bad, it just means it's roots are showing.

@Kochambra When I called it "essentially plagiarism", it's the fact that so little is done to make it their own. When it comes to artistic projects, it's the combination of everything that makes a project what it is.

Of course Cuphead didn't invent the art style, music style, or even play style. But the combination of everything is what made Cuphead "Cuphead". At best, you can try and argue that it's a re-skinned Contra clone... but there hasn't been a new, quality 2D Contra in years. Blazing Chrome is far more unapologetic in that regard, but that is very much filling a gap. You can try to argue the Epic Mickey comparison, but that only makes the point that Studio MDHR built upon it, not just took it as-is.

Now look at where Enchanted Portals took its inspiration from. Based off their PR response to the backlash, it's 100% Cuphead and nowhere else. That's their prerogative, but that doesn't mean people have to accept or reward that.

THEN, when you consider that they're seeking crowdfunding with the intention to sell the game, it casts a bit of doubt that this is mostly coming from a place of respect or admiration. It wouldn't be hit nearly as hard if it was released for free, or even on platforms where you couldn't get Cuphead (like PS4 or Mobile).

Ultimately, what improves the public reception/acceptability of a project is doing something better, doing it differently, or filling a void that no one else will. Business-wise, this is whatever. Artistically, it's dubious.

The thing I don't quite get yet is the time frame for this. It's a Kickstarter project, but they have a date of October 24th. How is it both seeking funding and slated for release it 14 days? Cuphead spent years in development limbo, even with the direct sponsorship of Microsoft, but this pops out of nowhere ready to rock in two weeks?

Inspiration is fair enough but there's a point where you're too close.

I think something deserves scrutiny when its a near duplicate in both style and gameplay mechanics.

If they want to make it stand out they need more classical platforming levels that don't have shooting and a separate form of combat, break up the gameplay loop.

They should have gone with either the art style or the gameplay.

It's all well and good showing your inspiration, but this looks like a reskinned Cuphead with nothing of substance added. Somebody asks "why not just play Cuphead?" and there's no answer since this doesn't look to be bringing anything substantial to the table.

Take most other popular games that have shown their inspiration quite obviously, they do bring something new however small that may be. I can answer that same question with "because X mechanic" or "artstyle" or "game type". Darksiders wasn't an identical clone of Zelda, Sonic wasn't just Mario, Saints Row isn't a carbon copy of Grand Theft Auto, this however? Even Megaman and MetroidVania """inspired""" games more often than not bring different powerups, mechanics, enemy types or environmental challenges to the table, and there's enough of those where they should be running out of ideas.

If you want more of the same, that's all well and good, but lets not pretend this is anything other than a blatant ripoff.

There's been a lot hate towards them yeah, but also a surprisingly large amount of constructive criticism from people who seem to want to see them succeed. I really hope they don't ignore the legitimate criticisms as "hate" because they really do need to listen to that feedback. All they need to do is give the game play something it can call its own and I think they'll be much more successful. If they decide to listen only to the people doing nothing but praising them this likely won't end as well as it could.

It's definitely a clone, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. If one enjoyed Cuphead, I'd think they'd want more of it.

That said, I wish they would have got the design and aesthetic and turned it into a game that is not a bullet hell game, maybe a platformer instead. That's what turned me off from Cuphead, it looks great but I'm not interested in its genre, so I skipped it.

Please cancel it

A knock off is a knock off whether you like it or not. Its the same as those bootleg movies that copy the latest Disney Pixar blockbuster but name it something like CarGo instead of Cars. It isn't illegal, which is why knock offs can be sold. Either way, people will expect it to be just as good as the game it is imitating. If it is then good, but if it isn't, its your own fault for picking up an obvious knock off

@DTFaux "You can try to argue the Epic Mickey comparison, but that only makes the point that Studio MDHR built upon it, not just took it as-is."
It makes the point that Cuphead is much less unique than many people seem to think. They "stole" a graphical style that other people took years to develop, same with the music style and same with the gameplay. And you know what? That's perfectly OK because that's how culture works.
Back in the day, The Beatles started their careers imitating the style of their heroes, until they developed their own style. According to Wikipedia, even the group's name came about as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets. As far I know, nobody accused them of plagiarizing American rockers or Buddy Holly in particular, even though they were doing the exact same style of music. And I guess they did make money from their gigs, as they should, because people should get payed for their hard work.
A few years later, The Beatles had found their own style, they were huge and lots of groups started imitating them. And I doubt anyone accused them of plagiarizing The Beatles just because they used the same style. And I'm willing to bet that all those groups also made money for they hard work, as they should.
So why can't the makers of Enchanted Portals do a game in the same style of Cuphead, a game that wasn't even that original to begin with?
Are they reusing any assets from Cuphead? As far I know, they don't. This is all their work.
Are they trying to trick people into thinking this is Cuphead? No. The game's title isn't remotely similar to "Cuphead" and the characters are completely different.
Are they deceiving people about their sources of inspiration? No they have stated plain and clear that Cuphead was a big inspiration.
So what's their big crime, exactly? Working hard to do their version of other people's ideas, just as the creators of Cuphead and pretty much anyone who has ever contributed to our culture does? Daring to ask for payment for their work?

@Kochambra I'm not saying that the devs of Enchanted Portals can't do what they're doing . I've been trying to make clear that my points are from an execution and optics perspective; how reception could've been less harsh if they approached this game and its announcement from a different angle.

They can do what they want. If it garners an audience, good for them. But critics and reasonable criticism are fair play too.

As someone who's a creative myself, I know what it's like putting in a lot of effort and hoping reception is positive. Again, the team does appear to have talent. It's just a shame that all that hard work will primarily be associated with being a "lesser Cuphead" when it could've been so much more, and/or ultimately its own thing.

I actually hold this opinion towards a fair amount of things that don't space themselves far enough away from what they're inspired by.

It's an original creation, like Ricky Rouse and Monald Muck.

I suppose the question is: Why can Yooka-Laylee or Legend of the Skyfish or however many kart and smash-'em-ups there can get a piece of the pie but this can't?

It's hilarious watching people get all twisted over this considering that the art style that was used in Cuphead was nothing new. The art style that Cuphead used is a very, very old cartoon style used back in the 1920s.

"Steamboat Willie" was an animated short created by Disney in 1928. Look it up, and stop being ridiculous.

The real problem is that not only they copied the artstyle, but the gameplay as well.

At first this was acceptable, because Cuphead didn't invent that artstyle in the first place, it existed since the 1920s, but they made a carbon copy of the Cuphead gameplay, they could at least made some differences or a different genre like a racing game.

They need a filter to truly be cuphead. That intro cinematic sucked and looked generic.

I think it looks awesome. Fans of cuphead can now get more of that style game without waiting for a cuphead sequel. Different story, good soundtrack? Why not!

• Game comes out with really fresh art concept everyone loves
• Developers are inspired by this and strive to make something similar. The who game community is growing with new quality animation and art
• People get mad...

If you are mad about this then start protesting all pixel art games and say their clones or fps's, the list goes on. It is very human to be inspired by art and have it influence your own.

@PharoneTheGnome The art style itself not the issue.

Cuphead was inspired by multiple things. The art came from old style cartoons. But the game play was a unique take on something like megaman. Ultimately making something original.

This game lifts both style and gameplay from cuphead. When a game takes too much from one source it risks being uninspired copy of another product.

It's a game trying to just be cuphead.

Nice! I like it, and I like it BECAUSE it resembles Cuphead. And if it's a good game then awesome, I'll play it!

Well, yes it's a clone. Obviously. Doesn't look bad, but is a clone.

It's a game that takes similar inspirations and a similar approach to design. Sure it's inspired by what Cuphead achieved, but I'd hold my horses on calling it a rip-off until I play it.

This is definitely a copy-cat... if they wanted to make a game "inspired" by Cuphead, they would've had to bring something new to the table. This is the same '30s animation style and the same gameplay, although not executed as well, from the look of it.

They could've used the '30s animation style in a different genre of game and nobody would've complained, or make a game with similar gameplay but with a different aesthetic and nobody would've complained.

But you can't just copy both the aesthetic and the gameplay of another game without introducing anything substantially new to the formula, and then be surprised when people call you out on it.

Maybe it should be called Cuphead 2.0