The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales feels different and like an example of Square Enix taking a chance, and that’s why I loved this action-RPG. There are some minor issues, but I really found the combat satisfying and concept intriguing. Not to mention it’s great to see an HD-2D game that experiments with a different genre rather than another turn-based RPG. Square Enix took a shot here, and I think it should be commended for it.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales is not just an attempt to recreate the classic feel of Super Nintendo’s best action-adventure titles, it is a confident attempt to modernise and reinterpret it. A memorable world, flexible combat system, rewarding exploration and an endearing cast, it stands as one of the best, most engaging HD-2D classic by Square Enix to date. Some minor issues with depth perception and an overstuffed combat system stop it from being an all-time classic, but they do little to diminish what is otherwise an incredibly enjoyable adventure.

The Adventures of Elliot: Millennium Tales is perhaps the answer to a potential scenario of "What if Square Enix took charge and created a top-down Zelda experience"? I don't mean that in a negative way - quite the contrary in fact! This is a game that holds its own unique charm that I feel only Team Asano could do, and it re-kindled a sense of nostalgia that I probably haven't felt in more than a decade. If this means we will see more of HD-2D in other genres, or if this opens the door for new remakes, then I'm all in for it.

Expansive without being intimidating, varied without being overwhelming, familiar without being tired; Elliot's adventures are wonderfully designed, consistently enjoyable, and utterly compelling. While The Adventures of Elliot: The MilleNnium Tales' writing may be more Mid than Middle-earth, the rest of the game compensates by being powerfully strong.

The Adventures of Elliot is a very expensive gem of a game. It has a simple, almost predictable story that’s actually part of its charm, beautiful audiovisuals, and a polished, if repetitive gameplay, sure. But it’s also being sold for a lot more money than games in this genre with this amount of content usually demand. Beyond that financial hurdle, though, it remains one of the most thoroughly enjoyable JRPGs to have come out recently if you’re looking for a beautifully focused, classic experience.

Team Asano has done it again: their blend of 2D HD graphics and retro gameplay creates an irresistible treasure trove that you won’t be able to put down until you’ve played through every last bit. Any minor quirks are easily overlooked.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an action RPG with some narrative unevenness. But when it comes to gameplay, it’s a huge success. There’s not just plenty of content (above and below the ground); there’s plenty to appreciate. This is one HD-2D adventure that’s worth a long look, especially for top-down Zelda fans. Here’s hoping for a sequel that takes its time travel into the far future, preferably with a new companion alongside Elliot.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales blends the spirit of classic RPGs with modern touches on Switch 2, while sparking curiosity through its exploration and atmosphere.

This nostalgic ARPG masterfully revives the 16-bit spirit through direct, versatile combat and a rewarding progression system. While the platforming feels clunky and the narrative leans on familiar tropes, the impressive weapon variety and deep exploration deliver a captivating experience. It successfully balances retro simplicity with modern depth, creating a truly obsessive gem.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is charismatic. It may not be the best game in the HD-2D scene, but it's certainly not a bad experience. It's not only another step in the constant evolution that Square Enix began after the release of Octopath Traveler, but it's also an adventure worth experiencing, even if some parts aren't quite as good as many of us would have liked.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is Team Asano’s take on the action RPG genre. Their signature 2.5D art style brings this vibrant world to life. This is especially clear in the attention to detail in both the art and the vocal performances. Although the combat is button-mashy, it feels responsive and fun. This is especially true after augmenting your weapons with Magicite. Dungeons are quick and snappy, offering loot without becoming stale, and exploring off the beaten track is highly rewarding. However, the talkative companions and the reuse of enemies for long parts of the game sometimes hinder immersion. The story may lack depth, but the gameplay always keeps me coming back for more. Is there a better feeling than the satisfaction you get from finding a new artefact in the depths of an ancient cave?

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales is the closest thing to a modern take on classic Zelda games I’ve played during the past two generations of consoles. It scratches that itch of bite-sized dungeon crawling and puzzle-solving that Nintendo has effortlessly refined over the past few decades. Best yet, it showcases the beauty of 2.5D pixel art that Square Enix has successfully implemented across its other turn-based JRPGs over the past few years. If nothing else, Elliot is a romp worthy of your time.

Influenced by the Zelda series and great JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales proves that classic adventures are alive and well. While it has areas for improvement, its ability to transport us back in time to the golden age of RPGs is priceless.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a game that may wear its Triforce on its sleeve, but it understands the fundamentals of why Link’s adventures remain some of the most beloved in the whole of gaming. Though the moment-to-moment gameplay of The Millennium Tales is solid, where it really excels is in its ability to spin a good yarn, and not just in the broader strokes. Its side quests in particular are well worth your time, and even though dungeon diving and working your way through its myriad temples is engaging enough, it’s the stories, characters, and quieter moments that kept me enthralled throughout Elliot’s 1,000-year adventure.

With its stunning HD-2D visuals, ingenious time travel mechanics, and superb combat system, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an unmissable adventure for players seeking nostalgic experiences combined with modern comforts.

I enjoyed my time-hopping adventures in Philabieldia, driven by a charismatic hero and his plucky sidekick. I'm not swimming in new waters here by any stretch of the imagination, but The Adventures of Elliot efficiently replicates those 2D adventures of yesteryear. The HD-2D format fits, the clever map design belies a small world to explore, and the real-time combat is exciting and fun. Now, as I wrap up my time in Philabieldia, I have to ask: Has Elliot ever had a cheesesteak?

A truly lovely action RPG that’s easy to pick up for all types of gamers but is full of depth and longevity over a thousand years of adventuring.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales offers everything an enjoyable action RPG should: tricky puzzle design, rewarding exploration, and nuanced combat. A lack of gameplay innovation and reliance on well-worn narrative tropes slightly hold it back from true greatness, but if you're a fan of the genre, it's still a quest well worth embarking on.

If there were to be just one adventure game in your suitcase this summer, it would definitely be The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. Whilst it doesn't reinvent the genre, it embodies its best aspects with its generous and skillfully crafted story, an exploration that knowns how to reward you, and an immersive world where you truly feel like the hero. It won't become a new benchmark in the genre because of its inevitable comparison with Zelda and its too generic dungeons, but it remains nonetheless one of the most honorable examples of the past few years.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales certainly lives up to its name, offering an enchanting interlude—reminiscent of the finest fairy tales—amidst the myriad titles released this year. Once again, Square Enix proves it has a gold mine in the HD-2D style, an art direction that stands as one of the most influential creations of recent years. Here, the ever-helpful Elliot takes center stage in an adventure that is both classic and nostalgic, yet above all, remarkably executed and told. Certain moments truly stand out, thanks primarily to the high quality of the writing—whether in the main storyline or the side quests. This is precisely where the Square Enix title might surprise and move you, just as it did me, from start to finish.

Elliot's Adventure is a delightful RPG that perfectly captures the charm of the '90s classics. The simplicity of the experience makes it much more fun than you'd expect, with an interesting story and a captivating soundtrack.

Despite being disappointed by The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales in its opening hours, the experience gave way to something far more engaging in its second and third acts. Its shallow narrative deepened as it unravelled the grand tapestry of time in Philabieldia, its combat more fleshed out by greater enemy variety and buildcrafting potential with magicite, all accompanied by a presentation and art direction that Square Enix have nailed at this point.

Typically, a weak narrative would matter to me. Even with my action games (see: NieR), I like to play something that has something to say (and that’s why I don’t quite hold Zelda in the same esteem as some others). However, with Elliot, the gorgeous production values and entertainingly breezy action roped me in anyway. This is a charming, if transient little game, and has the added benefit of demonstrating that HD-2D is a versatile engine that developers have only really started to play with.

If The Adventures of Elliot become as numerous as the legends of Zelda, you'll find me a willing participant, despite the shortcomings of this maiden voyage. The inspirations are clear, but so too is the understanding of what makes for enjoyable minute-to-minute gameplay. The longer you play, the more the cracks begin to show, but the story manages to push you forward and the hidden plots beneath it make going out of your way an oft fulfilling detour. The red mage-looking Elliot has made a fan out of me, and if Link ever wants to take a break from stopping Ganon, Square Enix has a capable backup waiting in the wings.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales isn’t without blemishes, but it’s still a great action-adventure game that continues to prove why the HD-2D art style is among the best around. Its interesting time travel concept doesn’t quite land, with not enough changing between the various time periods to keep its enemies and environments from getting a bit repetitive. But Elliot is a hero I wanted to cheer on, with a supporting cast of characters whose stories were more than worth seeing through to the end. Even without being a true RPG, the Magicite system gave me plenty to min-max as I messed around with different builds on the fly, and I can’t wait to see all the cool combinations people find – though I do wish it let me make more of its discoveries on my own when it came to stuff like finding collectibles. Still, I grew to love this world and the people who call its various ages home, and I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of Elliot the adventurer and his feathered red cap.

The seamless change from turn-based to action combat proves how timeless the HD-2D art direction is. The Adventures of Elliot not only looks beautiful, but has a story to match. Elliot’s journey transcends time and space to deliver an emotional gut punch that’ll stick with me for a while. Despite performance issues on Switch 2, there’s tons of gameplay variety and fun exploration, which makes it one adventure you’ll want to make time for.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is perhaps not as good as it could have been, but that doesn't stop it from being a very satisfying time. Elliot and Faie make for fun protagonists, and the game's combat, magic and upgrade systems are deep and enjoyable. Although I would have enjoyed more puzzles and varied world maps, I had a great time with what the game gave me. If you like gorgeous action RPGs, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has a lot to offer, and you'll be sure to have a fantastic escapade.

A gorgeous HD-2D love letter to classics like Zelda and Mana. Despite lackluster side quests and an annoyingly chatty sidekick, its time-travel mechanics, snappy combat, and superb pacing make The Adventures of Elliot a must-play for retro-affine action-adventure fans.

Traveling between eras to solve the same world is a brilliant idea that Elliot pulls off with flying colors. It may lack the spark of genius found in its inspirations, but it is essential for fans of classic Zelda games.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a very solid first effort at taking on the action RPG genre. While there are clear missteps and plenty of room for improvement, the game gets a lot right on its first try and serves as a solid foundation for whatever comes next.

Even though The Adventures of Elliot is not without its shortcomings and obvious parallels to The Legend of Zelda, it still provides an adventure that stands on its own and tells a magnificent story through four eras.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales feels like it gets about three-quarters of the way toward being a fantastic game, but its final stretch drags it down. When it's firing on all cylinders, it's a great deal of fun and comes very close to capturing the energy and spirit of a classic Zelda title. When it isn't, it feels slow, meandering, and unfocused. A strong soundtrack and beautiful visuals help elevate the experience, but ultimately, Adventures of Elliot lands as a good game that could have been great with a bit more polish and focus.

Despite the successes of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, I can't help but feel it doesn't make full use of its time-travel potential, both in its overworld and in its story. Still, while it's not particularly exceptional or exciting, it is both adequate and effective.

The Adventures of Elliot holds so much untapped potential that even discussing it becomes frustrating: every single aspect of the game seems to have been designed without regard for the others, yet somehow the whole package manages to be incredibly consistent. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable experience—never dull—that left us feeling satisfied despite the aforementioned flaws, though largely because we love the genre and the HD-2D style. And because we have an obsessive-compulsive need to deal with locked treasure chests and kittens in distress.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a story that looks to the past in order to better exist in the present. Captivating and elegant, but at times a little too restrained to leave a lasting impression.

Despite my frustrations, by the end, I just couldn’t find myself to truly dislike The Adventure of Elliot: The Millennium Tales as a whole. It just has too much heart, and I see a lot of room for improvement. This is the kind of game where you can just tell the people making it approached the project with pure passion. I’d love to see them get another shot, because you can just tell a follow-up could be legendary.

Nothing about Elliot feels outright poor, but there's an air of slight disappointment that the game can't shake. There are even parts that I really love: the genuinely bright and whimsical style and soundtrack, combat options, and ludicrous ending, but it feels like the whole package has trouble clicking together. And honestly, maybe part of that is simply how good nearly all of Square's HD-2D efforts have been up until now...On its own, The Adventures of Elliot is just fine; a solid action RPG to fill your time. There's a strong foundation to build on for the future, if another HD-2D action-RPG can actually find that untapped potential that Elliot doesn't manage to reach.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales conceals its various endings beneath layer upon layer of the player’s genuine interest in soaking up every last detail of a story that offers nothing new or original, but which, in its final stretch, features a ‘cliffhanger’ that gives it the boost it needs to remain in the category of a good game. It won’t feature in any ‘must-play’ lists for the genre, but I don’t think it’s a bad choice for some light-hearted fun without too much pressure over the summer.

A traditional Zelda alternative with good-feeling weapons-based combat. The Adventures of Elliot's world and characters might grate over time, but it does feel like a good evolution of Square Enix's HD-2D aesthetic.

It’s clear that Claytechworks understands what the key ingredients of a good Zelda-like are, but they haven’t quite managed to strike the right balance between them in this first attempt. They should have sprinkled a little more puzzle-solving into the mix and a little less combat. However, that’s a minor issue compared to the paper-thin story and the bizarre decision to copy-paste the same map four times. It reeks of too much ambition and too few resources, and if that’s the case, it can be forgiven because the combat system and the obligatory dungeons and bosses are truly rock-solid here. If Elliot sets off on new adventures in the future, I’d gladly join him again. As long as Faie and Philabieldia are left at home.

With this fond and technically accomplished homage to the action-adventure games of the SNES’s golden age, Team Asano once again succeeds in bringing the appeal and charm of celebrated genre pioneers into the modern era. However, while titles like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy did more than just pay tribute—enriching their genres with original ideas—The Adventures of Elliot remains largely repetitive and predictable. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my roughly 20-hour adventure, I frequently lamented the game's unfulfilled potential. I would welcome a sequel that builds upon this solid foundation while addressing the current shortcomings.

Whatever team Asano's original statement of intent may have been in crafting The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, it will only have been partially honored. Beyond deploying the era-hopping mechanic as a design shortcut rather than a genuinely coherent narrative element, this latest HD-2D epic loses itself in outrageous repetitiveness, one that will have players retreading the same areas time and again; and the handful of sporadic, era-dependent variations won't be enough to fend off the overdose. There is, admittedly, a soul to it all the same, systems that work and a certain moreishness to the gameplay, yet the experience spreads out as so much scenery to be crossed again and again, all while waiting for the story to finally deign to begin. And it's very good, once it truly does. But in plenty of cases, by then it will already be too late. "Hope is eternal," one might draw as the game's moral. We'd mainly have preferred it to be in a little more of a hurry.