The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Review

Every now and then, a game comes along that reminds me why I fell in love with action RPGs in the first place. They don’t always need sprawling open worlds or endless checklists to keep me engaged. Sometimes all it takes is a memorable adventure, satisfying combat, and a world that’s simply enjoyable to explore. That’s exactly what I was hoping for when I jumped into The Adventures of Elliot.

The Adventures of Elliot blends classic action RPG design with modern presentation. It wears its inspirations proudly while introducing enough fresh ideas to feel like its own experience. Over the course of my playthrough, I found myself constantly looking forward to discovering what was around the next corner, whether it was a hidden treasure chest, a challenging boss fight, or another piece of the game’s surprisingly heartfelt story. It isn’t a flawless adventure by any means, but it’s one that consistently entertained me from beginning to end.

The story follows Elliot, a young adventurer whose peaceful life is turned upside down after an ancient threat begins resurfacing across the kingdom. What starts as a fairly straightforward quest gradually grows into something much larger, introducing forgotten civilisations, mysterious relics, and plenty of memorable allies and enemies along the way.

I appreciated that the narrative never tried to overwhelm me with unnecessary exposition. Instead, it delivered its world-building naturally through conversations, exploration, and environmental storytelling. The pacing felt steady for most of the adventure, with enough surprises to keep me invested without constantly throwing twists at the player.

Elliot himself is a likeable enough protagonist. He grows throughout the journey without becoming overly dramatic, and his relationships with the supporting cast feel genuine. Several companions also have their own motivations and personal struggles, giving the adventure more emotional weight than I initially expected.

One aspect that genuinely surprised me was the game’s multiple endings. Reaching the initial ending feels satisfying enough, but it’s only part of the overall experience. The true ending adds a surprising amount of additional story content while providing much needed context that reshapes several events leading up to it. It left me appreciating the narrative even more, and I’d honestly encourage anyone who finishes the game to seek it out. Stopping after the first set of credits really does feel like you’re cutting yourself short, as the extra content is absolutely worth experiencing.

While I wouldn’t say the story breaks new ground, it succeeds because of its charm. It’s the kind of fantasy tale that’s familiar but well told, making it easy to become invested in the world and the characters inhabiting it.

Gameplay is where The Adventures of Elliot shines the brightest. Combat feels responsive from the very beginning, combining quick melee attacks, dodges, ranged abilities, and magical skills into encounters that remain enjoyable throughout the game. As I unlocked additional abilities and upgraded my equipment, battles became increasingly strategic rather than simply more difficult.

Different enemy types encouraged me to switch tactics instead of relying on the same combo repeatedly. Some required careful timing, while others rewarded aggressive play. Boss encounters were particularly enjoyable, often introducing unique mechanics that made each fight feel distinct.

Exploration is another highlight. The world is packed with optional paths, hidden collectibles, puzzles, and secrets that reward players willing to look beyond the main objective. I frequently found myself ignoring the next story marker simply because I wanted to see what was hidden in the surrounding areas.

Progression also feels satisfying. New abilities gradually unlock previously inaccessible locations, giving earlier areas renewed purpose. It creates a satisfying sense of growth without feeling overly restrictive.

The crafting and equipment systems add another layer of depth without becoming unnecessarily complicated. I never felt buried beneath endless menus, yet I still had enough meaningful choices to customise my preferred playstyle. Difficulty also strikes a nice balance for most players. Regular encounters remain approachable while boss fights provide enough challenge to feel rewarding without becoming frustrating, though that doesn’t mean they are without challenge. There were plenty of times I had to reattempt a boss after getting destroyed, and then going in with an adjusted strategy.

Visually, The Adventures of Elliot is a gorgeous game. But that’s something that’s apparent as soon as you look at it. Rather than chasing photorealism, Square Enix leans into its stunning HD-2D art style, and it’s one that I honestly don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of. It continues to be one of my favourite visual styles in modern gaming because it blends classic pixel art with modern lighting, depth of field, and visual effects so effortlessly. There’s a timeless quality to it that manages to feel nostalgic while still looking fresh, and The Adventures of Elliot is another fantastic showcase of just how beautiful this style can be.

Lush forests, ancient ruins, bustling villages, snowy mountains, and mysterious underground caverns all feel handcrafted with plenty of environmental detail. Lighting plays a huge role in bringing each location to life. Sunlight filtering through dense forests, glowing crystals illuminating dark caves, and dramatic weather effects all contribute to an atmosphere that constantly encouraged exploration.

Character models are expressive during both gameplay and cutscenes, while enemy designs are imaginative enough to remain memorable throughout the adventure. Spell effects deserve special mention as well. Magical abilities produce colourful visual effects without making combat difficult to follow, something many action RPGs occasionally struggle with. Whether I was exploring quiet villages or battling enormous bosses, the presentation remained consistently impressive.

The soundtrack also perfectly complements the adventure. Calm orchestral themes accompany exploration, while more energetic tracks elevate boss encounters and dramatic story moments. I found myself stopping more than once simply to appreciate the music playing in the background.

Voice acting is consistently strong across the main cast. Performances help sell both the lighter comedic moments and the more emotional scenes without feeling overacted. And you have the option of an English or Japanese dub. An option I always appreciate seeing.

Sound design during combat is equally satisfying. Weapons have impact, magic effects sound appropriately powerful, and environmental audio helps make each location feel alive. Combined together, the music, voice acting, and sound effects significantly enhance the overall experience.

As with other HD-2D titles, performance was great overall. Load times are incredibly fast, allowing me to jump back into gameplay almost immediately after loading a save, fast travelling or moving from one time period to another. The game also maintains a smooth frame rate during exploration and combat, even during larger battles filled with enemies and visual effects.

I encountered only a handful of very minor issues, such as an occasional animation glitch and one camera hiccup in a tight indoor area. Neither affected my overall enjoyment, and thankfully never experienced anything game breaking. Overall, it’s a polished experience.

What impressed me most was how well The Adventures of Elliot balances its various gameplay systems. Combat remains engaging throughout the entire adventure, exploration constantly rewards curiosity, and progression feels meaningful from beginning to end. Every time I unlocked a new mechanic or discovered a hidden area, I genuinely wanted to keep playing.

The world itself is another major strength. Every location feels distinct, encouraging exploration without relying on oversized maps filled with repetitive objectives. Instead of overwhelming me with icons, the game lets discovery happen naturally, which made exploration far more rewarding. Especially given that you can explore the same locations but from different points in time to get something new from each area as you hop back and forth through the game’s various eras.

The overall pacing also deserves recognition. Story moments, exploration, puzzles, combat, and boss encounters are mixed together well enough that the experience rarely feels repetitive. And the game doesn’t overstay its welcome. This isn’t a long winded 70 hour RPG, you can see Elliots journey through in about 20 hours.

Finally, the game’s charm shouldn’t be underestimated. Between its colourful presentation, memorable characters, enjoyable soundtrack, satisfying gameplay loop, and the stunning HD-2D visuals, it’s simply a fun game to spend time with.

Despite everything it does well, there are a few areas where I think the game could have been stronger. The story, while enjoyable, follows several familiar fantasy tropes that experienced RPG fans will likely predict long before the ending. There are emotional moments, but few genuinely surprising narrative twists.

Some side quests also feel less inspired than the main content. While a handful offer meaningful character development, others fall into standard fetch quest territory and don’t add much to the overall experience.

Faie, Elliot’s fairy companion, is another aspect that occasionally wore on me. She’s a likeable character and brings plenty of personality to the adventure, but she’s also incredibly chatty. There were several moments where she kept chiming in with dialogue when I simply wanted to take in the world or continue exploring at my own pace. It never became a major issue, but there were definitely times where I found myself wishing she’d shush for a little while.

I also would have loved if the weapon and tool management were streamlined a bit better. As I mentioned back when I initially previewed the game, Elliot’s equipment is split into weapons and tools. I really would have loved if I was able to quick select a tool using a trigger or additional button. Being able to keep my sword and spear equipped as my primary and secondary weapon and also be able to quick select and unleash a bomb or throw the boomerang without having to go into the menu, unequip one of my weapons, equip the bomb, throw the bomb down, and then have to remember to go back into the menu and re-equip my weapon otherwise run into a nice surprise in my next combat where I try to swing my sword, but instead throw down a bomb. Fingers crossed the feature gets patched in down the line as it would help the overall flow of combat and exploration massively.

None of these issues significantly hurt the overall experience, but they’re noticeable enough to prevent the game from reaching true genre defining status.

Final Thoughts

After finishing The Adventures of Elliot, I came away genuinely impressed. It successfully captures the sense of adventure that many action RPGs strive for while delivering satisfying combat, rewarding exploration, beautiful visuals, and a charming fantasy world that kept me engaged from start to finish. Although its story occasionally plays things a little too safely, Faie’s constant chatter can become a little overbearing, and some side content lacks the same level of creativity as the main adventure, the overall package is incredibly enjoyable.

This is the kind of game that’s easy to recommend to fans of classic fantasy adventures. Whether you’re playing for the story, the exploration, or the action-packed combat, there’s plenty here to enjoy. Just make sure you stick around for the true ending, as it’s one of the most rewarding parts of the entire experience.

I had a great time with The Adventures of Elliot, and it’s another strong showing from Square Enix. It may not completely reinvent the action RPG genre, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, it focuses on delivering a polished, consistently entertaining adventure that reminded me why these kinds of games remain some of my favourites.

A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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