to me, the free battles were the real meat of the game - but what made them so enjoyable was the buildup and detective stuff (which of course were wonderful and immersive in their own right) which surrounded the fights
the fights themselves, especially since they were somewhat uncommon, became extremely exciting by punctuating the story elements
and before the fight he can say, "I HOPE YOU LEAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR MY FIST BECAUSE I'M GOING TO RAM IT INTO YOUR STOMACH AND BREAK YOUR GODDAMNED SPINE RARARAHGHHGGGGGGGHHHHHHH"