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Flank him! Flank him!

–Attican soldier

Polyphemus-Concept

The fabled cyclops, Polyphemus.

Cyclopes are a species of burly, one-eyed giants seen throughout the God of War series. They have many variations, all of which are very powerful and usually present a significant danger in battle. All Cyclopes have a specific finishing move which Kratos can perform through the activation and success of a mini-game. The finishing move varies from species to species, but usually involves Kratos climbing onto the beast and ripping or stabbing out its eye.

Greek Mythology[]

In Greek mythology, the Cyclopes Brontes, Steropes, and Arges were three giants, each with a single eye. They were the children of Gaia and Ouranus (Uranus), along with the Titans and the Hecatonchires ("Hundred Hands"). However, Uranus considered the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires hideous and hid them in Gaia's body, causing their mother much pain. Gaia in her anguish then convinced one of the Titans, Cronos, to overthrow Uranus. Although Cronus did so successfully, he refused to free his Hecatonchires and Cyclopes brothers.

Zeus, the son of Cronos and the leader of the Olympians, who would fight the Titans, freed the Cyclopes from Tartarus. In gratitude, the Cyclopes forged the Lightning Bolt for Zeus, the Trident for Poseidon and the Helmet of Invisibility for Hades, which were crucial to the Olympians winning the Great War.

When Asclepius, son of the god Apollo, discovered a way to resuscitate the dead, Zeus had to kill him with a lightning bolt. Even though Apollo got angered with that, he couldn't have revenge against his father. Instead, he killed these Cyclops.

These Cyclopes are extremely powerful deities, each considered on par with a Titan or Olympian. The Cyclopes in the God of War series, however, seem to have more in common with another group of mythological Cyclopes, a race that lived on islands and herded sheep, an example of such a Cyclopes is Polyphemus.

In the God of War series[]

Ascension[]

Cyclops Berserker (God of War - Ascension)

Cyclops Berseker in Ascension

The Cyclops Berserker returns in Ascension. Their skin is brown and they now carry a giant iron club as a weapon instead of a tree trunk. Three of them appear through the campaign, the first one in the Guard House, the second one in the village of Kirra (when Kratos returns to it) and the last one inside the Statue of Apollo. They are always found with packs of medium-sized or small enemies supporting them.

If one of them is stunned (golden halo on their head), Kratos can climb it and stab one of his Blades on its neck to ride it and use it to attack other enemies, just like he does to the Bersekers of God of War III. To kill it, Kratos climbs up to its shoulders, stabs its chest with both Blades and slides down to the floor, creating a large gap on its abdomen from which its innards spill out. Both red and green orbs are gained for killing them this way.

Multiplayer: In Trial of the Gods, Cyclops Berserkers are found in the Rotunda of Olympus and the Desert of Lost Souls. In this mode, they appear identically to Singleplayer, so similar tactics must be used. None of their attacks can be blocked.

They also appear sometimes in the Rotunda of Olympus in Team Deathmatch (2V2) and Match of Champions (4 players) modes. In these modes, whenever a warrior stuns and grabs them he will start to ride them, and after dismounting from the creature, it dies instantly, granting the warrior and his team bonus points. A Cyclops that is being ridden by a player can even toss the other ones in the air with its attacks, which once again can't be blocked.

Jjvdb15-god-of-war-ascension-polyphemus-1

Polyphemus, the giant Cyclops

Cyclops Berserkers are among the toughest enemies of Multiplayer, and it takes a lot of time to take out a single one of them, even with a powerful weapon in hand, such as a club. Whenever there's a club in hand, it's recommended to use its charged attack repeatedly against the beast until it is stunned.

The giant Cyclops Polyphemus also appears as a boss in the Desert of Lost Souls map in every mode. Whenever the Spear of Olympus is obtained by a warrior and used to kill it, the warrior and his team gain a very large quantity of favors, or win the match in the case of Trial of the Gods. In Multiplayer, Polyphemus is considered to be a titan, and not just a giant Cyclops.

Chains of Olympus[]

Cyclops Tyrant

Cyclops Tyrant in God of War: Chains of Olympus

During the Siege of Attica, Cyclopes were enslaved by the Persian King, as they were used to attack the city, along with the mighty Basilisk. Later, Kratos fought many of them in the Underworld. Near the end of the game, Cyclops will appear wearing golden armors that can only be destroyed with the Plume of Prometheus combo of the Blades of Chaos or charged strikes from the Gauntlet of Zeus.

After weakening them, Kratos can kill them by climbing by its arm to its head, stabbing one of his blades in the creature's eye and then stepping on the blade, making it go deeper into the beast's head.

God of War[]

Cyclops Enforcer

Cyclops Enforcer in God of War

In God of War, they were used by Ares in the Siege of Athens (mostly as shock infantry), and are also seen guarding parts of Pandora's Temple. Aside from the "normal" Cyclopes, Kratos also encountered Cyclops Enforcers: the elite, armored, siege-equipped monsters with a spiked ball as a weapon; and the Cyclops Desert Kings: the mighty, feral beasts guarding Pandora's Temple. Killing any Cyclops in this game yields Kratos both red and green orbs.

This is the first game in the series where it is impossible to rip out their eye, the other one being Ascension.

Ghost of Sparta[]

Cyclops Tyrant (God of War Ghost of Sparta)

Cyclops Tyrant in God of War: Ghost of Sparta

The same Cyclops from Chains of Olympus return in Ghost of Sparta, although in two different varieties.

The first one is found for the first time in Atlantis, killing a pair of Atlantis' Soldiers. Like the Cyclops Tyrants from God of War II, Kratos harms them by stabbing the blades on its eye and pulling it. After weakened enough, he will climb them, stab one blade on its neck and then on its eye, jump back to the ground and pull it, this time definitely killing the beast.

The other one is found with a golden armor that can only be destroyed by Thera's Bane (the armor worn by it is different from the armor used by some Cyclopes in Chains of Olympus). Destroying each piece of its armor yields Kratos red and green orbs. These Cyclops can also grab Kratos, and if they succeed in doing this they will slam him against the ground and continuously punch him until he manages to "break free". If he escapes their grip, he will stab the Cyclops' hand and it will in turn throw him away, but this won't damage him. After removing its armor and harming them enough, Kratos can kill them the same way he kills the ones from Chains of Olympus.

Death scene: If Kratos runs out of health when a Cyclops is punching him against the ground, the Cyclops will lift both of its arms and bring them down on Kratos, crushing and killing him.

God of War II[]

Cyclops Tyrant (God of War II)

Cyclops Tyrant in God of War II

Two new species are encountered in God of War II, named Cyclops Tyrants and Berserkers.

The Tyrants are standard, unarmed Cyclopes, who attack Kratos by striking at him with their fists or feet, or by picking him up and throwing him. If there are any Wild Boars around, a Cyclops Tyrant can pick one up, bite off its head, and throw it at Kratos like a projectile. When the creature has been stunned, Kratos can damage it by impaling it in its eye with one of his Blades of Athena, and then yanking the beast head-first to the ground, like with the Cyclops Brute. Tyrants are only encountered in the Destiny's Atrium.

Cyclops Berserkers dwell throughout the Island of Creation, the domain of the Sisters of Fate, and use a large tree trunk as a club. They are always summoned by the Beast Lords and used by them as a mount, and their eyes are said to possess special properties. Kratos gains both red and green orbs by brutally killing them. Berserkers are encountered twice, in the outskirts of Temple of Euryale and outside the Palace of the Fates.

God of War III[]

God‑of‑war‑3‑screenshot‑kratos‑rip‑out‑eye

Killing a Cyclops Berserker.

Cyclops Berserker reappeared as the protectors of Olympus, while Kratos used his abilities to control the Cyclopes by repeatedly stabbing them. This method damaged the monster however, effectively killing it in a short time.

Cyclops enforcer god of War III

Cyclops Enforcers in God of War III

An undead Cyclops also briefly appeared, emerging from Cronos' shoulder during Kratos' battle with the Titan. Completely devoid of outer skin, this Cyclops showed much more muscle and bone, most likely due to his prolonged stay inside Cronos. While Kratos survived being swallowed by Cronos, the Cyclops did not. Despite the difference in body composition, it still has the same attack patterns as most other club-wielding cyclopes.

Cyclops Enforcers also reappear in this game, keeping all of their attacks from God of War, the same appearance and even the brutal kill. This time, their helmets are destroyed in the QTE to kill them, revealing their head and face. These huge guardians of Olympus always attack in large groups and protect entrances to important locations.

Trivia[]

  • The character graveyard in God of War stated that, originally, the idea was to make the Cyclops look more like an animal. The Cyclops had a penis, but that was later cut from the game for being "too much". A concept art of the Cyclops had "poor cyclops" jokingly written on it due to this.
  • The most powerful Cyclops in Greek Mythology was Polyphemus, son of Poseidon and Thoosa the Nymph, who was blinded by Odysseus. He is seen in the multiplayer option of the game but will not appear in God of War: Ascension's single player campaign.
  • The Cyclops Tyrants in God of War II are identical to the Cyclops Brutes, but do not have the giant jawbone.

Gallery[]

List of Species[]

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