As they progress through the game, defeating enemies and completing quests, party members are rewarded with experience points. After raising a level, they acquire an ability point to invest in one of a character's four statistics (health, skill point pool, attack power, skill duration and effectiveness), or purchase new combat abilities. All characters have access to standard skill strikes, which can buff the party or be used against enemies. When skills are selected and used, time slows down. Cinematic spirit strikes, which are unlocked by progressing the story, can be activated once a special meter is filled by killing enemies, taking damage, or performing successful combos. Similar to skill strikes, they can either deal damage to enemies or buff the party.