There’s a rhythm to the combat that takes time to develop, especially since most early fights can be won by spamming the two attack buttons. Once you start facing more and tougher foes it becomes necessary to mix up your basic strikes while monitoring your enemies, who won’t stand idly by while you beat their buddies to a pulp. As you get more comfortable and unlock additional moves, battles can turn into fluid encounters in which you’re seamlessly combining attack and defense.

Pressing one of the face buttons enables “Battle Focus,” which slows time to a near standstill and allows you to issue orders to your teammates and/or employ your own allotment of abilities. Both are done via a radial menu, which you navigate with the left stick. While this system is completely functional, it does have a pair of issues that are worth mentioning.