Combat itself takes place in real time, with all of your characters appearing on the battlefield. There is an influence of turn-based combat systems, since each of your characters will take individual turns in battle. For instance, you'll usually start out with the sword-wielding character, who will have around five seconds in which to act; after he slashes away at his foe, the next character in your party will be able to move and attack, and so on, with your enemies taking turns as they pop up as well.