A 2D platformer called Enchanted Portals is set to make its Kickstarter debut in a couple of weeks. However, the game is already facing backlash over similarities in art and gameplay to Cuphead.
Enchanted Portals, currently in development by the indie studio Xixo Games, tells the tale of two young magicians and their cat who wind up lost in time and space after messing around with some portal magic. The two must defeat a variety of bosses, find the missing pages of their spellbook, and make their way back home. You can see the basic story and some gameplay above in the trailer. You can also find snippets of the game's animation on the game's official Twitter.
Unfortunately, the game has faced a tough reception. At the time of writing, the trailer has three thousand dislikes compared to 1.2 thousand likes on YouTube. The main complaints are over how similar the game looks and plays to 2017 hit Cuphead. Xixo Games made up of Daniel, a director and programmer, and Gemma, the artist and composer, told Polygon that their game is highly inspired by Cuphead. They're both huge fans of the games and wanted to make something similar "from a place of respect and admiration for the original." The two had expected some backlash over the similarities, but not as much as they've gotten. However, they've also received plenty of positive responses, and they're turning their attention to those who want the game to succeed.
It's still too early to get a sound judgment on how similar the two games are. We'll likely be able to get a better look when the Kickstarter release.
The Kickstarter campaign for Enchanted Portals is set to begin October 24. The game's trailer says it's planned to release on PC and Nintendo Switch
