The "Legacy of Kain" games fall into the action-adventure genre, utilizing a balance of action, puzzle-solving and exploration. Starting from "Soul Reaver", the series also features platforming elements from a 3D, third-person perspective. Whereas "Blood Omen" and "Soul Reaver" employ an open world system in the style of "The Legend of Zelda" or "Super Mario 64", the latter three games are divided into chapters, and are more linear in progression. As the player solves pivotal puzzles or defeats bosses, they receive new weapons and abilities, such as telekinesis, shapeshifting, mind control and magical spells. The main character's health constantly declines in each game—Kain must consume blood to sustain his strength, whereas Raziel requires souls—prompting combat, which focuses on hack and slash techniques, and allows the player to kill and feed from enemies.