Devil is the main villain cup headThe main campaign – after all his name appears in the game’s subtitle “Don’t Deal With The Devil”. When Cuphead and the Mug Man lose their souls to the devil in a gamble, they implore him not to collect their souls in exchange for anything else. Eager to use his new minions, the devil asks them to retrieve the Soul Pact from the other debtors on Inkwell. Thus begins the journey of the two cups, jumping from place to place, defeating the devil’s debtor, and collecting the souls of others to save their own.
the devil may be cup head, but he’s absent from most of the game’s activities. Players can only see the devil in cutscenes, which cut into his schemes at the casino. Beyond that, the only time the player actually comes face-to-face with the devil is at the end of the game. But while the Big Bad sits in his lair, another villain takes a more active role in making sure Cuphead and Mug Men don’t stop them from ending the devil’s deal.
He’s Mr. King Dice
King Dice is the manager of Inkwell Hell Casino and the devil’s right-hand man. He is a tall humanoid with the body of a man and a head. Dressed in purple, King Dice exudes the air of an entertainer, while his diabolical smile and razor-sharp beard betray his evil intentions. Through the introductory cutscene, players can see that it was he who brought the cup to the devil’s attention, which caused the devil to barter with his brothers, causing them to lose their souls.
When the player first encounters King Dice in the game, he can be found guarding the exit of one of his Die Houses. He explains to the players that they need to acquire all the soul contracts in the current part of Inkwell Island before they can move on to the next area. King Dice repeats 3 more times throughout the game before revealing himself as the penultimate boss of the main campaign.
better crime category
Unlike the devil who is content to stay in the casino, King of Dice makes himself known to players throughout the game. After being established as the one who got Cuphead and Mug people into trouble with the devil, he kept stopping the brothers from advancing on Blackpool Isle. Players who want to go straight to the devil can’t just because King Dice’s large frame blocks the exit of his Die Houses. This forces them to defeat all available bosses first, before moving on to tougher bosses. The Dice King also reported the progress of the cup to the devil, and told his boss that Cuphead and the Mugmen could become a threat if they completed their goal of collecting all the soul contracts.
After Cuphead and Mugman get all of their soul contracts, the Dice King gets furious and tries to kill them. King Dice’s boss fights, like his nature, are a tough gamble. Players must parry a pink die, which will move them across the board. Landing in a numbered space will force players into a mini-boss battle, while landing in a safe space will give them another chance to parry the pink dice. Once players get close to the end of the board, they realize that they either end up fighting King Dice or start all over again. Although players must fight at least 3 mini-bosses, they can eventually fight all 9 mini-bosses before fighting King Dice. Even losing to a mini-boss or King Dice resets the progress of the battle, making it one of the longest and most tedious battles in the game.
Compared to the demon’s conspicuous absence and straight-up boss fights, the King of Dice seems like a more worthy primary opponent for Cuphead and Mugman. The King of Dice keeps trying to thwart the cup multiple times throughout his journey. He keeps a close eye on his opponents and isn’t afraid to take matters into his own hands. His goal of pleasing the devil may not be quite as diabolical as his boss’s soul-stealing goal, but it provides him with a constant drive to motivate his evil deeds. Add King Dice’s “Die House” theme song, in which he sings about his duties and abilities, and he might just be a better villain than the devil himself.
Cuphead: a delicious final dish Available on PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One.
