Clicking on an enemy initiates combat, which continues until one of the participants dies or you issue a new command. Backstabbing is a very effective way to begin a fight, and can sometimes even finish the battle with only a single blow. If you're able to maneuver behind an unsuspecting adversary, the attack is automatic. In addition, there's a localized damage system that allows you to aim for specific areas on an opponent's body, with area-specific effects. For example, hitting a foe's arm will decrease the force of its subsequent attacks while damaging its legs will slow its rate of movement.
Blows aimed at the head cause the most damage, but incur more chance of missing.
As a nice visual touch, damage is shown visually on the enemy character screen, with the hurt areas becoming more and more bloody. Battles can become rather hectic, especially when you have more than just Zak in your party, so the ability to pause the action by hitting the space bar is a handy one. The gameworld consists of three islands, but only the first, called Gipat, was available in the preview build. This area is a temperate one with terrain that is reminiscent of northern Europe in the spring or fall. The adversaries encountered include various animals such as wolves, boars and toads that spit poison.