The Devil is the primary antagonist ofCuphead’s main campaign - his name is in the game’s subtitle, “Don’t Deal With The Devil,” after all. When Cuphead and Mugman lose their souls to the Devil in a gamble, they beg him not to collect their spirits in exchange for anything else. Eager to put his new minions to use,the Devil tasks them with retrieving the soul contractsfrom other debtors across Inkwell Isle. So begins the journey of the two cups as they hop from location to location, defeating the Devil’s debtors and collecting others' souls to save their own.
The Devil may beCuphead’s final boss, but he is quite absent for most of the game’s events. Players only see the Devil during cutscenes which cut to him scheming in his casino. Apart from that, the only time players actually meet the Devil in person is at the very end of the game. But while the big bad sits in his lair, another villain plays a more active role in ensuring Cuphead and Mugman don’t hold up their end of the Devil’s deal.
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He’s Mr. King Dice
King Dice is the manager of the Inkwell Hell Casinoand the right-hand man of the Devil. He is a tall humanoid with a body of a man and a single die for a head. While King Dice is sharply dressed in purple and gives off the air of an entertainer, his devilish grin and sharp mustache give away his evil intentions. Through the intro cutscene, players can see that it is he who brought the cups to the Devil’s attention, which cased the Devil to make a barter with the brothers that cost them their souls.
When players first encounter King Dice in-game, he can be found guarding the exit of one of his Die Houses. He explains to players that they need to acquire allthe soul contracts on the current part of Inkwell islebefore they can pass through to the next area. King Dice does this three more times throughout the game before revealing himself as the penultimate boss of the main campaign.
A Better Class of Criminal
Unlike the Devil, who is content with staying in his casino, King Dice makes himself known to players throughout the entire game. After being established as the one who got Cuphead and Mugman into trouble with the Devil, he constantly blocks the brothers' progression throughout Inkwell Isle. Players who wish to make a beeline straight for the Devil cannot do so solely because of King Dice’s large frame blocking the exit to his Die Houses. This forces them to defeat all the available bosses first before moving on to the tougher ones. King Dice also gives reports to the Devil regarding the cups' progress, and tells his boss thatCuphead and Mugman could be threatsif they complete their goal of collecting all the soul contracts.
Once Cuphead and Mugman acquire all the soul contracts, King Dice becomes furious and tries to take them out.King Dice’s boss fight, much like his nature, is a difficult gamble. Players must parry a pink die which will move them across a board. Landing on a numbered space will force players into a mini-boss fight while landing on a safe space will allow them another chance at parrying the pink die. Once players get near the end of the board, they realize that they can either end up fighting King Dice or starting all over again. Though players have to fight at least 3 mini-bosses, they can end up fighting all 9 of them before taking on King Dice himself. Losing to even one of the mini-bosses or King Dice resets the progress of the fight, making it one of the longest and most tedious fights in the game.
When compared to the Devil’s notable absence and straightforward boss fight, King Dice seems to be a more worthy main antagonist for Cuphead and Mugman to face. King Dice constantly tries to thwart the cups numerous times throughout their journey. He keeps tabs on his adversaries and isn’t afraid to take things into his own hands. His goal to please the Devil may not be as nefarious as his boss’s objective of stealing souls, but it provides him with a constant drive that motivates his evil actions. AddKing Dice’s “Die House” theme, a song in which he sings about his duties and abilities, and he might just be a better villain than the Devil himself.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Courseis available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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