Product Info

Platform

Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

Square Enix

Developer

Claytechworks Co. Ltd.

Genre

Action, RPG

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

16.6 GB

Release Date (NA)

Jun 18, 2026

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales proves that Square Enix’s HD-2D formula isn’t limited to turned-based role-playing games. Combining well-told time-travel storytelling with fast-paced action and an exploration that’s rewarding, Elliot carves out his own identity that makes it difficult to put down. It’s the cat’s meow.

Save Your World and Beyond

You play as Elliot, a young adventurer who is accompanied by a mysterious fairy named Faie. Elliot lives under the Kingdom of Huther, where a magical barrier keeps dangerous beast tribes and other vicious creatures at bay. You take on quests, whether they are little or big. Elliot enjoys every journey he takes. After discovering ancient ruins, Elliot and Faie uncover the Doorway of Time that sends them on a journey across four different eras. You’ll be doing some time travel to uncover the world’s secrets and find a way to save Princess Heuria and Elliot’s world.

Elliot’s main missions will change constantly as you progress the story and there are side quests to take on. Tracking these quests is clean and creative in the game’s menu setup. If you are advancing to a certain part in the game’s story, the game will notify you that you may lose out on completing a side quest. When you focus on your main goal in Elliot’s tale, this feature is very helpful. Regarding side quests, they are equally important because they provide more profound story insights into the characters and offer valuable rewards to assist you. 

The bartender in the present, for instance, requires help with some suspicious activity taking place in the snowy mountains. You encounter this situation, and after going back to the past several times to uncover the secret behind the suspicious activity in the area, you discover that the merchant froze to death, leaving his mechanical bodyguards to guard his corpse for eternity, which is causing problems for travellers in the present. You resolve the issue, and the problem disappears. But when you return to the present to make your report, you realise the bartender is in a more positive and peaceful state of mind. While the game won’t explicitly inform you, your actions saved his ancestor, which had an impact on the present. It’s scenarios like these that occur through the game make it worth exploring to see how events turn out in-between eras. Also, your reward is an empty flask, which is one of the most vital items to have to carry potions to recover health or raise power/defense for a short period of time.

The game has multiple endings based on certain criteria. Players can easily explore new endings, as the game prompts them without needing to create separate save files. Phew!

Weapon and Wings In-Hand

Elliott by default carries his trusty sword and shield. Additionally, Elliott can switch to six different weapons: a bow, a boomerang, bombs, spears, a hammer, and sickles/chains. Each weapon and shield can be upgraded, or the user can downgrade, though there’s little reason to do so. Each weapon has its own unique usage, but some will find a specific set to enjoy. Personally, I’ve enjoyed the spear and sickle/chain for longer-range attacks. Bows are a bit difficult to aim perfectly, but they have their usage to trigger gems to unlock dungeon paths.

Each of Elliot’s weapon skills is earned by converting a set of magicite stones dropped from enemies and found in treasure chests at the local town’s merchant. You’ll generate random skills to equip, and when you duplicate a skill, it will upgrade. Each skill requires a cost, and each weapon has a count limit on what you can equip. Players can upgrade their count limit by spending a certain amount of money. There are various skills to use, and there are a handful that’ll benefit Elliot, such as increasing attack power or adding status alignment to enemies. It’s a unique way to customize Elliot’s weapons, and the more options you give players, the better it feels as if you have more control of the battle.

Your companion Faie also carries a set of skills that are very useful in your exploration. There are five different abilities, each one valuable, such as warping Elliott to Faie’s location or igniting to light up torches, melt ice, and ignite bombs. Each has their own usage and is very handy. You can add a second player to control Faie but can only stick within a certain range. Otherwise you control the fairy with your other joystick. Controlling her isn’t difficult, except some puzzles require some precision between your and Faie’s movements together.

Finding these abilities, including Shard of Life pieces (a resemblance to heart pieces in Zelda games), and unlocking accessory slots are done in shrines that are placed across each era. Unlocking accessory slots proves the most difficult, as you have to tackle different tests with a boss at the end. You cannot use potions, and if you perish, Faie can’t bring you back to life. Best of luck!

Overall, playing Elliott and Faie feels fantastic and enjoyable. While they carry different styles of abilities, utilizing both at your disposal makes exploration fun, and adding a second player makes it even better.

Taking ‘Em Down

While Faie doesn’t get hurt, Elliot does, and you’ll need to control him in various ways to prevent a swift death. The keys to battle are dodging attacks, timing your strikes, and weapon swapping. Boss battles are fun, but some can get challenging if you are not careful. Playing these big fights was entertaining while trying to learn their battle patterns, and if you made a mistake, it felt more of a skill issue than the game. Defeating them brings a sense of relief, accompanied by a smile.

If you die in battle without using a potion to recover your health or running out, Faie can revive you, but it will cost you money. It’s a low fee at first, but the more you use it, the more expensive it gets. You can reset the fee at a nearby adventuring guidepost, which is the game’s save point. At these posts, players can also adjust the game’s difficulty setting. Playing on normal difficulty, the game felt like the right amount of challenge. If you just want to fly through and enjoy the story, then easy mode is your choice. Hard and very hard modes are also available to provide a significant challenge for players. You can fast travel between posts if you have already initiated the quest, including inside dungeons and ruins. This feature makes retracing your steps much easier.

Players will face puzzles in dungeons that require some thought but are easier than expected. Some puzzles such as unlocking platforms require exploring every area in dungeons. Puzzles are more challenging when trying to earn Shard of Life pieces than dungeons and ruins themselves.

Catch Me if You Can!

One of the largest side quests you’ll tackle is cat collecting. You’ll come across these fluffy felines hanging around the map in every era. You’ll be asked to find every cat and with Faie, she’ll let you know if she hears a cat nearby. There’s also a compass needle to help your scavenger hunt easier. Find enough cats, you’ll be rewarded with helpful items such as increasing the number of arrows and bombs. On your off time from adventuring, players can play and feed their favorite cat. Look as crazy as it is to find cats, it’s a purrtastic idea and we love it! What other game goes to this length of cats?

It’s All Coming Together

The game spends a few hours building up the story in your current timeline and then developing the story for each era along with frequent returns between each era. Maps of each era are very familiar to each other. Think of Chrono Trigger’s timeline between the “Middle Ages” and the “Present.” They carry similar landmarks, and although it appears that the game could have explored these landmarks in more distinct ways to create a greater sense of time between the eras, uncovering the history and understanding how things connect across them helps clarify the game’s intent on keeping these landmarks as intended. Exploring dungeons has slight differences between each era but carries different treasures, making them worth exploring again.

The world inside The Adventures of Elliot feels like a giant diorama inside a story book. The ice reflections on the floor, the wind blowing across the grass, and the lighting and shadow effects all create a visually rich and detailed world. Characters and enemies are in 2D pixel sprites but are highly detailed with their animations and designs. Bringing in the same team that worked on Octopath Traveler and other HD-2D games greatly shows how well designed this action RPG is. It’s another solid, beautiful game for the development team.

Characters carry voiceovers, and more important figures will have detailed illustrations to showcase their more “realistic” looks. Each is beautifully drawn, and the voice acting gives it that extra depth of character. However, your sidekicks, mostly Faie, tend to talk a little too much. You can reduce your partner’s input during exploration in the game settings, but more adjustments would be nice.

Composed by Yuto Moritani and Tomohiro Nakamachi, The Adventures of Elliot carries a strong orchestrated soundtrack. Huther Castle gives that elegant ballroom dance, while exploring uncharted areas feels mystical with its instrumental strings. With a soundtrack carrying over 105 tracks, there’s a unique score for each area you are exploring or a sudden dilemma you’ll face.

Its Own Throne

While the game focuses on time travel and action, it brings familiarity from classic Super Nintendo games like Chrono Trigger. The game also draws inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Secret of Mana, particularly in its action and role-playing mechanics.

The Adventures of Elliot is not here to be a “Zelda killer” or a replacement of your pastime. Square Enix is taking a new approach by offering a much faster pace and more action-oriented exploration, rather than creating another turn-based game. Reliving what you enjoyed in the past or experiencing a new style for the first time, Square Enix delivers a fun, new experience for everyone to explore.

The Final Adventure

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a gorgeous HD-2D action RPG that blends compelling time-travel storytelling, satisfying combat, and rewarding exploration. Packed with secrets, memorable adventures, a stunning world to discover, and of course cat collecting. It’s a journey well worth exploring, making it meowtastic.

A PlayStation 5 review code provided for this review. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales releases on June 18, 2026 for the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for additional information and purchasing options.