For years, Square Enix’s HD-2D games have been associated with turn-based combat and classic JRPG storytelling.
With The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, the publisher takes a bold step into action-adventure territory, with the visual charm of Octopath Traveler, and exploration and puzzle-solving that will feel familiar to fans of classic Zelda titles.
It is a charming, ambitious, and surprisingly refreshing action RPG with nostalgia and modern design.
It delivers a memorable adventure packed with engaging combat, clever dungeon design, gorgeous HD-2D visuals, and a world that remains interesting from beginning to end.
A Journey Through Time
The story follows Elliot, a young adventurer living in the Kingdom of Huther, humanity’s last safe haven in the monster-infested continent of Philabieldia.
Alongside his fairy companion Faie, Elliot discovers the mysterious Doorway of Time, an artifact that allows him to travel across multiple eras. What begins as a simple expedition soon evolves into a grand adventure spanning centuries.
The time-travel mechanic is one of the game’s strongest features. Areas change dramatically depending on the era being visited, creating satisfying moments where actions in the past influence the future.
Exploring familiar locations across different timelines adds a strong sense of discovery and keeps the adventure feeling fresh throughout its lengthy campaign.
Although the narrative occasionally relies on familiar fantasy tropes, the world-building and character interactions are strong enough to keep you invested until the credits roll.
Fast-Paced Combat With Plenty of Variety
Unlike Square Enix’s traditional HD-2D RPGs, combat here is entirely real-time. Elliot can equip multiple weapon types, including swords, bows, chains, and sickles, each with distinct playstyles. Magicite upgrades allow you to customize weapons and experiment with different builds.
Combat is responsive and satisfying. Switching between weapons on the fly allows experimentation, while boss encounters often require you to master timing, positioning, and resource management rather than simply mashing attack buttons.
Faie is more than just a sidekick. She actively participates in combat, assists with exploration, and even supports puzzle-solving.
A second player can control Faie in co-op mode, making the adventure surprisingly enjoyable as a couch co-op experience.
Some players may find the combat slightly easier than expected during the early hours, but the addition of multiple difficulty settings helps provide a better challenge for experienced action RPG fans.
Excellent Dungeon Design
The Adventures of Elliot shines brightest inside its dungeons. Puzzle rooms, hidden secrets, environmental challenges, and clever uses of time travel consistently reward exploration.
Many modern RPGs focus heavily on combat while treating puzzles as an afterthought. Elliot takes the opposite approach. Dungeons frequently introduce new mechanics and require you to think creatively rather than simply defeating enemies.
The pacing rarely suffers because every new area introduces fresh challenges, making exploration one of the game’s most rewarding aspects.
Stunning HD-2D Visuals
Square Enix continues to prove that HD-2D remains one of the most attractive visual styles in gaming. The Adventures of Elliot may be the studio’s best-looking implementation of the technology yet.
Detailed sprite work, beautiful lighting, dynamic weather effects, and richly designed environments create a world that feels alive despite its retro-inspired presentation.
Each era has its own visual identity, and watching locations transform across centuries is consistently impressive. Whether exploring ancient ruins, dense forests, or monster-filled wastelands, the art direction rarely disappoints.
Performance on PC remains stable throughout most of the adventure, with only occasional minor frame-rate dips in particularly busy scenes.
Soundtrack and Audio
The soundtrack perfectly complements the game’s adventurous tone. Orchestral themes blend seamlessly with nostalgic melodies, creating memorable tracks for exploration, combat, and emotional story moments.
Voice performances are generally strong, although Faie’s constant commentary can occasionally become repetitive.
Thankfully, Square Enix included options that allow you to reduce how frequently she speaks, addressing one of the most common criticisms from early demos.
What Could Have Been Better?
Despite its many strengths, The Adventures of Elliot is not flawless. Some side quests feel overly familiar and fall into standard RPG fetch-quest territory.
The story, while enjoyable, occasionally struggles to match the creativity found in its gameplay systems. Certain dungeon concepts are reused later in the game, and a few boss fights lack the spectacle seen in the strongest encounters.
Verdict
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales successfully proves that HD-2D games can thrive outside the turn-based RPG genre.
With excellent dungeon design, rewarding exploration, enjoyable combat, beautiful visuals, and a compelling time-travel premise, Square Enix has created one of the most pleasant surprises of 2026.
Fans of classic Zelda adventures, Mana games, and modern action RPGs will find plenty to love here. While a few repetitive side activities and familiar story beats hold it back from perfection, Elliot’s journey deserves a place on every RPG fan’s radar.
TechGamesNews Rating: 8.8/10
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a fantastic action RPG that blends classic adventure game design with modern RPG mechanics, creating an experience that is both nostalgic and fresh.
