God of War’s action-adventure franchise has cemented itself as a staple for PlayStation and modern video games with an extensive series of title across many console generations. But even aside from its primary franchise entries,God of War’sprolific crossovers into other franchises is due chiefly to the iconography of its titular protagonist.
BetweenKratos' crossovers intoFortnite,Shovel Knight, andMortal Kombat, there have been different perspectives of the stoic, realm-swapping demigod that paint him in a unique light, even if they are not necessarily canon perspectives. Recently, a fan artist’s crossover has melded the characters from the latestGod of Warwith the art style of a game whose bombastic visuals are uniquely identifiable.
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L3mmie, otherwise known as Daniel Lehmacher, has shared rubber hose fan art ofGod of War’s Kratos and Atreus. L3mmie admits thatCupheadwas their “biggest source of inspiration” for the artwork, which is prominently and wonderfully reflected.Cuphead’s visually striking art styleis complemented by its distinguished rubber hose animation style. Rubber hose animation hails from 1920s cartoons and is uniquely depicted with characters who feature wiry limbs and appendages with no anatomical articulation, as seen here with Kratos and Atreus.
Kratos and Atreus' rubber hose style designs are admittedly adorable, and fans have shared their newfound desire for the two franchises to crossover. Reddit user El-Mitochondria proposes Kratos appearing as aCupheadboss, while LDG192 ponders the idea ofGod of Warbeing a “Disney IP back in the 30s.” Rubber hose animation is far less graphic or detailed thanGod of War’s current graphical fidelity, which also strips it from its more brutal and violent overtones to give Kratos and Atreus a wholesome and cartoonish aesthetic instead.
Epic Mickey,Skullgirls, andBendy and the Ink Machineare a few examples of other games that have employed rubber hose animation to mesmeric effect.Cupheadmay not be the last game to ever implement this particular style, though due to its significance it is likely that any subsequent game that tries will be forced to succumb toinevitableCupheadcomparisonsnonetheless.
L3mmie states that they plan to upload their rubber hose fan art to their website, where fans can already purchase detailed fine art prints of Ellie, Abby, Dina, and Joel fromThe Last of Us 2, as well as a print forCyberpunk2077’s default male V. Until then, fans may imagine what othercharacters from theGod of Warfranchisewould look like in this art style.
God of Waris available now for PS4 and PS5, with a PC version set to release on June 16, 2025.Cupheadis available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
