A detailed guide to the bosses of the second game world Cuphead: how to kill the giant green dragon
Fiery Frolic is another level with a boss located in the second part of the Inkwell Islands. To start this level, you must interact with a tall white tower, which is wrapped in a green tail. Look for her in the northeastern part of the island.
This can be accessed after passing through the tent that opens after the battle at the Carnival Kerfuffle level (or by taking a short path over the mountains above the birdhouse, but in this case you will have to take over at two levels – Sugarland Shimmy and Aviation Action. The boss fight is a flying dragon named Grim Matchstick The fight is divided into several stages.
Video walkthrough
This battle, unlike many others against flying bosses, will require good coordination from you, because you will not be on an airplane, but on your own two, moving between the clouds. First you need to attack the boss, then run away from him through the clouds, then get closer again, etc.
Phase 1 – Chasing the Dragon
In the first stage of the battle, you move from left to right, while you have to move with the map and jump on the available cloud platforms. Dragon Grim will use several different attacks against you, which will force you to demonstrate all the skills of evasion and fast movement on platforms.
These attacks are:
- Smoke rings – the boss releases a series of three to five smoke rings that will fly in the direction where you are at the moment of the shot. He will often use two or three attacks in a row.
- Fireballs – the boss will spit out one fireball that will move around the screen, hitting its edges.
- Double fireball. As with the fireball, Grim can fire two projectiles at the same time. They will bounce off each other.
- Tail kick. In some places at this stage it will be possible to notice how the green tail of the dragon is visible through the clouds. Moreover, it will fly out from the bottom of the screen. The tail will first track you, and then, after a few seconds, try to pierce with a lightning strike. You don’t have to contact him.
First step
Although this is the initial part of the battle, it seems rather difficult due to the fact that during the passage of the level you have to jump on platforms, while dodging numerous obstacles that the dragon creates. It is important to hold down the fire key at all times, even when dodging enemy attacks.
Perhaps the most important part of this stage is choosing the right location for the hero. You don’t need to stand in the center of the map. Choose better areas to the left so that you have enough room to maneuver – you can run away from the tail if you see it, and in general there will be more time to understand where the rest of the dragon’s attacks are aimed.
Avoiding the fireballs is easy enough – just watch them and jump onto a safe platform when you understand their trajectory. The double fireballs are much more difficult to deal with, but when they collide in the middle of the screen, you can either jump over them or dash between them with a dash.
Since the smoke rings fly in a forward direction towards the point where you are standing at the moment of the attack, it is quite easy to dodge them – the last ring in the series is usually pink, which allows you to parry it and increase the supply of energy for a special attack.
When you deal enough damage to the Dragon, it will disappear from the screen, and you will see how it flies in the background, bypassing you. As soon as it appears on the left side of the screen, the second stage will begin.
Phase 2 – Fire Parade
During the second stage, Grim will stand at the left edge of the screen, where he will be motionless with his mouth open. He will roll out his tongue, which will cover the entire floor, and also launch a march of several fiery creatures that will go from left to right. At this point, the boss will have several attacks to take care of:
Second phase
- Fire Jet – While Grim remains stationary, his nose can still periodically shoot upward flames, dealing damage if you get close to him.
- Jumping Fire Creatures – Some of the small enemies marching across the dragon’s tongue stop from time to time and then jump diagonally upwards. They do this randomly, inflicting damage only in case of contact with the GG.
At this stage of the battle, you need to constantly jump over the clouds to the right side (just like in the first stage, only keep more than the right edge of the screen). Then turn around and attack the boss – you can even do this when you are above the middle, but in this case you need to duck. You need to jump away from the boss as far as possible before turning and shooting, so that you have a few seconds of continuous fire.
While jumping between these clouds and shooting at the enemy, you will also need to closely watch the marching lights at the bottom of the screen. As soon as you notice how one of them has stopped, jump, or accelerate to avoid contact. This is perhaps the main nuisance during combat, since they do not always behave in a straightforward manner, and can also jump in random directions. If possible, then use super-moves on the boss at this stage.
Phase 3 – Storm
The final stage of the fight with this boss is pretty brutal. The screen will turn dark and it will rain heavily, making it harder for you to spot the platforms. In addition to the weather changes, Grim will return, with not one, but three heads at once, of which he is able to attack. He will use the following attacks:
- Fire Bubbles – Two of the three heads can shoot fire bubbles that aim at your current location and can hurt you if they hit. Shooting them will cause them to be divided into several parts, so this cannot be done.
- Fire Breath – The middle head can fire a jet of fire that stretches across the entire length of the screen. He will only fire this attack in the middle of the screen.
Stage Three
Again, at this stage, you need to constantly jump between the clouds. For the most part, you will be dealing with bubbles of fire, so you need to stay as far to the right of the screen as possible. This is because dragon heads will stretch long distances across the screen before using one of these attacks, and being close to them can make it difficult to avoid them. You must dodge the fire as shooting at them can result in additional projectiles that move up, down, left and right of the bubble itself. It will be hard to dodge them!
Another thing you should consider is that the boss’s fire breath only reaches the area in the center of the screen. As soon as you hear a sound that resembles a boiling kettle whistling. then immediately go downstairs – this is a hint that the boss will use fire breath. After using it twice, the boss will take a little time to recover, so you can resume the attack and be in the middle until you hear the noise again.
To destroy the boss, stay as far as possible on the left side and shoot him where possible. The upper level is too high, so you will need to sit down for accurate shooting. Avoid the fire bubbles and stay away from the center platforms when you hear the whistle sound. Eventually, after dealing a lot of damage, the boss will be knocked down and the level will end.
