![enchanted portals game enchanted portals game](https://img.gurugamer.com/crop/620x324/2019/10/10/enchanted-portals-criticized-for-being-too-identic-5960.png)
Take a moment to think about any movie, book, show, game, or any piece of creative media that you love-whichever you chose to visualize, it's probably an homage to something. This is one of two big reasons why I hesitate to label the game plagiarism. From this, it sounds more like Portals's identical art style, gameplay, and animation were actually meant to pay tribute to the original game rather than copy it. You could define it more simply as "literary theft" in this way-again, borrowing a definition from Merriam-Webster, because I must give credit to whoever's words or ideas I'm using.Īnd that's exactly why I hesitate to call Enchanted Portals a definite plagiarized Cuphead the Xixo duo supposedly aren't out to fool anyone or pass off the Moldenhauers' work as their own, as in response to the controversy they've clarified that they were inspired by Cuphead and wanted to create something in the same vein because of that. Well, for one thing, according to Merriam-Webster, to plagiarize something is to "steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own" or "present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source." By this definition then, real plagiarism would be to take somebody else's creative ideas or works without permission and then claim them to be your own original work. In just the thread for the trailer's Twitter post alone is filled with side-by-side comparisons between the two, with others calling Enchanted Portals a "discount" and "unabashed copycat" of the Studio MDHR game and accusing the developers of blatant plagiarism.īut that does beg the question: what even is plagiarism in the first place? The team dropped a trailer for the project's Kickstarter campaign on their Twitter back on the 8th of October, and it took no time at all for thousands to share their thoughts: that the gameplay looks way too similar to that other exceedingly popular hand-drawn animated indie run-and-gunner, Cuphead. Screenshot of the game's protagonists fighting a music-themed boss image and characters belong to Xixo Games Studio.įor the uninitiated, Enchanted Portals is an in-development independent platformer title made by the duo-led Xixo Games Studio. It feels like having your child kidnapped by a total stranger, who then tries to pass them off as their own offspring instead it's a serious crime and deserves hefty punishment.īut even with that said, it surprises even myself how conflicted I am on the Enchanted Portals-Cuphead controversy. Just the thought of somebody stealing the work that I put hours of tender love and care into, and then putting it out with their name on it instead of mine, honestly makes me sick. By design, that means that I have naturally strong feelings towards copyrighting, especially when it comes to plagiarism. So if you're looking for an excuse to harass the Enchanted Portals team, then you won't find anything here (granted, if you're a sane individual, you should already know that you shouldn't be harassing them or anyone in the first place).
![enchanted portals game enchanted portals game](https://sm.ign.com/t/ign_hu/screenshot/default/image_e7jv.1200.jpg)
I will explore both sides of the current argument and give my own personal thoughts on both in as objective a manner as possible. This is purely an objective study of the situation based on my own experiences and research, meant only for educational and discussion purposes. Number one: this will not be a summary of why I believe that the creators of Enchanted Portals are ripping off Cuphead with their game. Before I write any further, let's establish some vital ground rules: