The Adventures of Elliot - The Millennium Tales review: a Zelda-inspired RPG that finally pushes HD-2D forward

Our Verdict

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.

For

• Charming evolution of HD-2D style
• Satisfying combat and fairy abilities
• Lots of secrets to uncover

Against

• Exploration is quite restrictive
• Different ages lack distinction
• A very irritating fairy companion

Details

Publisher Square Enix

Developer Square Enix, Claytechworks

Release date 18 June 2026

Format Nintendo Switch 2 [tested], PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Platform Unreal Engine (HD-2D)

Eight years since the release of Octopath Traveler, Square Enix's HD-2D aesthetic, made popular by Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and over new releases, has been one of the best ways to define retro-modern, in its case, using pixel art reminiscent of its 16-bit heyday but elevated with modern lighting post-processing techniques. It's also arguably been overused, not just in a number of the publisher's remakes but also by its rivals, although the term HD-2D is a Square Enix trademark. It was then about time that this aesthetic also evolved before it became in danger of feeling old-hat, too.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales makes a change in gameplay too, as it's the first new HD-2D IP that's an action RPG, where engaging in real-time battles against enemies in a large overworld filled with challenging dungeons makes the traditional top-down Zelda games the closest comparison - including being able to cut grass and smash pots.

The titular Elliot is a different figure from Link, though. For one, he sports a dashing hat and cape both in the colour red, and he talks a fair amount, but he's also a bit too much of a bland do-gooder, which only makes me appreciate why Nintendo's legendary hero has just stayed the strong, silent type. Early on in his journey, he's also partnered with a fairy named Fae, who easily comes out on top as the most annoying sidekick of all time, even after selecting the option for her to speak less.

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Retro with modern moments

Fortunately, my grumpiness over their characterisations in a fantasy world that's also a bit on the twee side (though, given how heavy and grisly the themes got in the Octopath series, some might take comfort in this), is that it actually feels good to play. This is much more action-focused than even a Zelda game, where you might sometimes find yourself walled off in a dungeon room until you defeat a wave of enemies, but each of the seven weapon types you can equip feels great to use, while being able to parry is a good modern touch.

Fae, meanwhile, is not just an annoying guide; she gets more and more useful as you continue your journey. Either controlling her with the right stick, or letting a second player control her in co-op, she can stun enemies on impact or collect items, but soon you unlock new abilities, such as being able to turn into a flame to light lanterns, grant Elliot a speed boost, or even make a doppelganger who mirrors your movement and actions. While these powers use up her energy, it does fill back up relatively quickly too, especially if you make Fae hide for a brief time.

There's also an upgrade to the HD-2D presentation from past games. Most of the overworld and dungeons are actually 3D environments rather than just a lot of 2D sprites billboarded together. It's especially impressive when you're controlling Fae in the darker interiors too since her glow illuminates these environments as you would expect. There's still charm to the characters' pixel art designs, especially the way Elliot's cape billows behind him as just a few red pixels, but the voice-acted roles are also accompanied by wonderfully expressive hand-drawn portraits so that it's not just a few on-screen small character sprites carrying the story.

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A fenced off world

While there's charm to the world, which is actually set across four different ages in a Chrono Trigger-esque time travel twist, I wasn't always enamoured with exploring it. This was usually down to how literally fenced-off paths are, so you often had to make a detour around the map. This frustratingly even applies to Fae, who as a tiny flying fairy also can't seem to get past fences or platforms higher than where Elliot is standing. It might be to avoid any game-breaking glitches, but it does make exploration feel awfully restrictive.

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The same could be said for the different ages you can travel between, and though the ability to fast-travel between eras sounds convenient, loading times feel a mite longer than they should, while you'll still need to unlock the same fast travel point from a different age. The problem is that it doesn't feel like there's enough visual difference between the eras, compared to Chrono Trigger, where you're jumping from prehistory to antiquity to the apocalyptic future. Barring several changes in the main town and a different colour tone, when the level design of each age hasn't altered greatly, it just feels like you're retreading a lot of the same ground, especially when some quests require jumping between ages almost for the sake of it.

There's nonetheless still a lot of secrets to uncover, where one dungeon might have little to explore in one age, only for it to fully open up in another, while there is also far more to its story than it seems. You'll definitely have to roll credits more than once before you completely uncover its central mystery. Whether it's engaging enough to keep you traipsing back and forth in its world is another matter.

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The Verdict

The Adventures of Elliot - The Millennium Tales review: a Zelda-inspired RPG that finally pushes HD-2D forward

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.