God of War III features gameplay similar to previous installments. The player controls the character Kratos in a combination of combat, platforming and puzzle game elements. Kratos's main weapons are the Blades of Exile (initially the Blades of Athena), with other new weapons including the Claws of Hades, the Nemean Cestus and the Nemesis Whip. The Cestus (a pair of fist gauntlets) are crucial to gameplay as they are required to destroy impediments constructed of onyx.