Fundamentally Lionheart, like many rpgs, lives and dies by its combat system. Dissimilar to both the strategic and methodical Fallout and the frenetic Diablo, but borrowing elements of both, Lionheart's combat is schizophrenic and usually frustrating. Often a matter of stepping slowly through the landscape until spotted and pursued by singular enemy, as the pace of the game does not make combat with multiple foes a viable option most of the time, this stutter step is standard fare for adventuring. And, it only grows more awkwardly pronounced as the plot throws your way greater and greater numbers of foes that would otherwise overwhelm you. Lionheart's tip-toe adventuring style is a distraction from the start that only grows more irritating. It feels as though Reflexive created the enemy layouts for a turn based party game, but forgot to leave the player the resources necessary to succeed. By the end of the game combat is a trial to deal with which is problematic because combat is virtually all you're doing.

For as deep as Lionheart's skill tree is, one realizes eventually - and often after a dozen or more hours of character development - that certain types of characters can and will become completely ineffective. There's a very good chance that as you progress through Lionheart, unless you have a latent prescience, you will find that your character is not prepared for the trials he will face. Starting over from scratch after putting ten hours into what proves to be a 'gimped' character is not beyond the realm of possibility, or even unusual.​