Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course — Moonshine Mob tips guide

The Moonshine Mob could be the first boss bout you face in Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course. You’ll find the entrance to their lair south of Chef Saltbaker’s bakery. You don’t fight just one boss with the Moonshine Mob, however. There are three (well, technically four) enemies to blast through. It can be a tough fight, especially with all the environmental hazards. But don’t fret: this guide has some tips on how you can make the Moonshine Mob sleep with the fishes.

The Moonshine Mob consists of a gang of bugs with an ax to grind. Its multi-tiered environment also means you’ll have to move positions often. Check out the tips below.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course — Moonshine Mob tips guide

Phase 1

You begin by facing off against a spider gangster. As you deal damage, he calls forth fly henchmen while also summoning bombs that dangle from spider webs. The spider randomly picks one of three bridges to cross, coming in from either the left or right. Standing in the middle of each bridge will give you enough time to ascend or descend to avoid taking damage.

• On occasion, the spider will stop and call more henchmen. Use that time to deal damage.
• Watch the background! Fly henchmen will appear for a few second before moving to the foreground. If you’re not paying attention, they can damage you as you appear.
• Bombs don’t explode as you touch them on standard difficulty. They take a couple of seconds, so if there are many onscreen, you can run through them to remove them as hazards. Just don’t stand around. If you’re being chased by an enemy or the boss, you can use the bombs for extra damage.
• The spider will toss a caterpillar that bounces around the screen like those old DVD icons. If the spider is facing right, it sends the caterpillar upright. To the left, it goes up and to the left. Use this to position yourself. The caterpillar can take damage and die.
• “Police bugs” show up to send a “donut” of pesticide that travels across the screen. It’s easy to dodge if you’re paying attention.

Your parry chance happens when a police bug sends out a pink cloud of pesticide.

Phase 2

The spider retreats, and brings down an ant (?) who dances to a turntable. This is the easiest phase, so long as you avoid the music notes, bug cops, and dancing barrels of hooch. The turntable has six lines of musical notes moving in a circular motion, with three lines moving the opposite of the other three. You can pass through the lines when they’re green, but you take damage on red lines.

• Think of the music notes like a traffic light: green means go, yellow is caution, and red is stop — with the latter doing the damage.
• My suggestion: wait on the center platform on the left or right of the ant. Once the notes start turning yellow, let the closest one pass through you, and follow it as it turns red. The notes go back to green after a few seconds.
• The dancing barrels and cops only take one damage to destroy.
• Pink barrels can be parried for super meter.

Phase 3

Finally, you get to meet with the mob boss and his giant friend. An enormous anteater bursts upward, destroying the three wooden bridges. The anteater removes his hat to show the snail boss, which you can damage before the hat goes back on. At the start of phase three, move to one of the stone platforms to avoid getting hit by the anteater.

• Where the anteater’s mouth emerges appears random, but it will show up on the side the anteater is facing.
• The anteater will on occasion send out his pink tongue, which can be parried. However, parrying doesn’t seem to force the tongue back early.
• Stand on the far side of where the tongue emerges, and then ascend or descend platforms to avoid the tongue. The nose is where the boss takes damage, so keep firing. A good weapon to use here is the Converge, which fires three bolts across the screen.
• The bouncing bugs can be damaged and destroyed. It’s smart to do so before a second one enters the fight.

You haven’t won yet! When you see a sign that reads “Knockout!” pay attention. It could be a literal fly trap. Don’t stop moving until the snail comes out of the hat. Attack the snail for a few more seconds, and you win.

And that’s how you beat the Moonshine Mob in Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course. Best of luck, and don’t fall for the trap. Like I did. Ugh.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is available on PC.