Game review: The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Switch 2)

Square Enix has published and developed many 2D-HD JRPGs in the past, including the likes of Octopath Traveller, Bravely Default, and the many Dragon Quest remakes. The one thing most of these games have in common is that nearly all of them have a turn-based combat system. 

Well, a new 2D-HD game is out this year called The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. This game stands out on its own compared to the other games I mentioned above, mainly because it's an action RPG. The combat happens in real-time, and it's fun and very satisfying. 

Before I talk more in-depth about the gameplay in The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, let's first discuss what this game is about. Much like many other JRPGs in the past, the game contains monsters, a huge adventure, and even time travel!

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales first takes place in a small human kingdom protected by the magic of Princess Heuria. Princess Heuria needs to constantly barricade the kingdom because the rest of the continent is inhabited by hordes of invading Beast Tribes. 

The game starts off quite small because Elliot is tasked to go outside the kingdom to kill some of the Beast Tribes that are living too close to the humans. Things go awry when the king's aide, Minister Kaifried, gets hold of an ancient relic that opens a door back through time. 

Minister Kaifried is disgruntled by the king's current rule, so he plans to go back in time to change history. Elliot has to face Kaifried to stop him, although the story has many twists and turns that result in even more problems for Elliot and the characters he loves. 

In terms of graphics and presentation, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has a visual style that will make fans of old-school looking games very happy. The 2D sprites look like games from the late '80s and '90s, but the environments are huge because you can explore a big open world with lots of dungeons and enemies. 

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales also has high production values because most of the dialogue is voice-recorded, and detailed illustrations accompany the characters whenever they are speaking. Only minor characters don't have illustrations or voice actors, which is okay in my opinion. 

In terms of the overworld itself, the kingdom is where Elliot starts his adventure because he lives in an orphanage helping other orphans. The kingdom is a safe place where Elliot can get quests from townsfolk or collect crucial items for his journey ahead. 

It's not until Elliot moves outside of the kingdom's safe zone that he confronts the game's many dangers. Beast tribes are hostile animal warriors/fighters who try to kill Elliot every time he roams around the overworld. Not to mention, many dangers lurk around the corner when Elliot needs to explore dungeons for keys or other important treasures. 

The cool part about this game, though, is the time travel gimmick. The enemies and environments change, but the world never feels too big or overwhelming to explore. This is because you can fast-travel to any save point you have visited previously. Exploration is less tedious and boring thanks to fast travel because you will need to go back to previous levels to open new paths sometimes. 

Arguably, though, the best part about The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is its active combat system. At the start of the game, Elliot only has access to a sword and shield, but they're pretty effective against low-level enemies. 

The combat also gives you visual cues whenever an enemy is attacking, so this gives you time to press the shoulder button to lift up your shield to deflect their attacks. On the Nintendo Switch 2, you can press the Y button to spam attacks for your primary weapon in your inventory. 

As you progress further into the game, more weapons become available to Elliot. If you are playing on Nintendo Switch 2, the secondary weapon can be assigned by using the X button. The first secondary weapon that Elliot gets his hands on is a boomerang, and this is effective at attacking enemies from a safe distance. 

Other weapons that come into his arsenal include a chain sickle as well as a hammer. Each weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it pays to change which weapon to use based on the situation.

For example, he gets access to bombs, and these can blow away tough enemies or bosses with lots of armour. A bow and arrow are also attained during Elliot's journey, but arrows are limited like bombs, and you will have to find or buy more of them if you run out. 

Elliot can also collect things called magicite, and these can be used to upgrade the stats or skills of his weapons and abilities. If Elliot gets the right magicite, he can add fire attacks to his sword or something like that. It pays to open every chest you see to upgrade your weapons. 

Elliot is also accompanied by a helpful fairy called Faie. Not only does she have her own magic abilities to help you during combat, but she can revive Elliot whenever he dies in battle. The only downside to getting revived is that it costs money each time you die. The more times you die consecutively, the more money is needed for Faie to revive Elliot. 

The only thing that might annoy some gamers is that some of the boss fights can be challenging. The boss fights are pretty easy at the start of the game, but they get progressively harder the more you progress. That said, most bosses have an easy pattern for you to exploit, so they're more manageable than in the Souls games. 

Overall, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a great 2D-HD JRPG thanks to an excellent story and a very enjoyable combat system. If you are a fan of top-down The Legend of Zelda games, you should give this game a go.