Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course has officially released, so it’s time to dive back into this exceptionally difficult run and gun action game. Embracing the art of the 1930s, Cuphead originally told the story of two brothers who made a deal with a devil. Released back in 2017, the highly anticipated DLC (aptly named Delicious Last Course) has finally dropped and it’s even trickier than the base game. This time around, you are tasked with gathering ingredients to make a pastry so good it will bring Ms. Chalice back from the astral plane.
One of the toughest bosses in this DLC is Mortimer Freeze. Found in the Snow Cult Shuffle mission, this boss is broken up into three phases which quickly escalate in difficulty. While this boss will still be challenging, there are a few tips and tricks to beating Mortimer. Here’s what you need to know before taking on this cold customer:
How to Beat Snow Cult Shuffle
Loadout
- Character: Ms. Chalice
- Shot-A: Spread
- Shot-B: Crackshot
- Super: Super Art II
- Charm: Cookie Charm
Phase One
Attacks
- Sentient Icicles: Mortimer will hover over you, open his cloak, and launch four sentient icicle enemies at your last known position. These enemies launch with some gaps between them, meaning you should stand between where they are going to dodge them. Once embedded into the ground, they will pop out and begin running around the arena. You can destroy them by shooting them after they hit the ground.
- Magic Cards: In his second projectile attack, Mortimer pulls out his crystal globe and starts firing playing cards that will loosely track towards your position. Sometimes these cards will be pink, meaning you can parry them.
- Fish Slap: Mortimer winds up a big orange fish and slams it down on one side of the screen. The fish takes up about one-third of the arena, so it’s critical that you listen for the sound of Mortimer winding up for this attack.
This phase is all about paying attention to Mortimer. He has very big telegraphs for each of his three attacks, so understanding what he’s about to do makes it easy to avoid damage. Of the three, the icicles can be a little annoying, since Mortimer likes to combo them with his fish slap move. If this happens, either quickly destroy the icicles in front of you or just jump and dodge out of the way. Crackshot is good for this fight since you don’t need to be directly aiming at him for it to hit. Plus, the ricochet rounds will hit and swiftly kill any icicle enemies roaming around. I also recommend parrying any pink cards if possible since you’ll want to build your Super meter for the next two phases.
Phase Two
Attacks
- Rollout: The giant snow monster will roll across the screen horizontally to the other side. Sometimes it will do this once, other times it will roll back to its original side. There’s also a chance it will roll across the screen and then bounce over to one side, covering the top of the screen instead of the bottom. Keep an eye on the boss’ movements to determine if it’s a multi-roll attack.
- Spikes: The abominable snowman will hit the ground and summon three spikes from the ground. The ground will crack where the spikes spawn, and there’s enough of a gap to safely stand between them.
- Flying Popsicles: Occasionally, flying popsicle enemies will zoom from one side of the screen to the other. These can be destroyed, dodged, or parried if they’re colored pink. Popsicle enemies will only appear when the boss transforms into a fridge.
- Ice Cube Bombs: Whenever the boss turns into a giant fridge, it will fire a few ice cubes at your position. When they hit the ground, the ice cubes will break once into smaller ice cubes that fly out in a small arc.
This is an annoying phase, as Mortimer will transform himself into a massive abominable snowman. Boasting four different attacks, the most difficult ones to deal with are the ice cubes and popsicles, as they usually happen at the same time. When you see the boss transform into a fridge, do not worry about attacking. Instead, focus on dodging the incoming ice cubes and shooting the flying enemies. Remember, the ice cubes break into smaller ones, so try to always get away from the initial point of impact. It’s also imperative that you deal with the popsicles, as they will constantly harass you unless they’re dealt with.
You will want to attack during the spikes move, as it’s incredibly simple to dodge and gives you a few seconds to freely shoot at Mortimer. His rolling attack is also pretty easy to avoid with Ms. Chalice, since her double jump lets you easily hop right over him. Just be mindful that the second or third attack has a chance to be a bounce move that covers the top half. Crackshot is very good here since it helps deal with the popsicles, but if you want to play a bit riskier use Spread. Mortimer has a huge hitbox, meaning all of your projectiles will hit him causing big damage. If you get your Super during this phase make sure to use it, as it will give you a free hit and let you start charging it again. No need to be frugal!
Phase Three
Attacks
- Buckets: Mortimer launches 2-3 buckets at you. If they hit the other side of the screen they will split and fire three projectiles back in the other direction. Sometimes one of the buckets can be parried.
- Eye Laser: For this move, Mortimer pops out one eye and lets it float in a circle around the arena. It will randomly fire vertical energy beams that are thin, but cover the entire height of the room. It will usually fire around three lasers before returning to Mortimer.
- Ice Drills: Finally, Mortimer fires five ice drills that converge into the middle of the screen and fan out to the edges.
I’m going to level with you, this phase is equal parts obnoxious and tricky. Set on five platforms that are spinning, you will need to dodge multiple attacks while shooting at Mortimer and not falling. Because of this, you will want to stick to the farthest platforms to ensure that you have enough time to respond to his moves. The biggest threat are the buckets, as they launch a lot of projectiles at a high speed — which can be tough to dodge on moving platforms. Always try to parry a bucket if possible, as this will remove it and give you less to dodge.
The best time to damage Mortimer is during his eye laser since it’s very slow and you can easily avoid it by constantly moving along the platforms. A lot of this fight is managing both your position and the attacks he launches at you. Crackshot and Spread are both good for this phase, but I like the former since I don’t really need to aim at Mortimer when firing to hit him. This allows me to focus on dodging and staying on the platforms. Use your Super whenever you get it, as you’ll need the extra hit it offers. Alternatively, you can just use Crackshot’s power move to make a stationary turret that will also shoot at Mortimer. Just make sure to parry your turret to transform it into a missile and launch it at the boss!
With a bit of luck and patience, you will put this wizard on ice.
