The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales trades turn-based combat for real-time action

Date:
Mon, 18 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Description:
We played an hour of Square Enixs latest HD-2D RPG that trades in turn-based combat for real-time action.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter In upcoming role-playing game (RPG) The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales , players step into the shoes of the titular hero and his fairy companion Faie as they travel the beast-ravaged continent of Philabieldia.

The last remnants of humanity live there and are led by Princess Heuria, who tasks Elliot with uncovering a mysterious artifact known as the Doorway of Time, This leads to a story where our hero and Faie travel between four distinct time periods. Blast from the past (Image credit: Square Enix) Announced last Summer alongside a free 90-minute gameplay demo for Nintendo Switch 2 , there was much to appreciate about the direction Square Enix was going in with The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales . Latest Videos From You may like Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection review: a charming turn-based adventure that takes its time Why Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth feels right at home on Nintendo Switch 2 Pragmata review: hacking combat shines in a spellbinding lunar setting That trademark HD-2D style felt more alive than ever with beautiful environments, sprites and effects, while the gameplay itself felt steeped in nostalgia. The developers also used the demo to actively request feedback from players in order to improve the experience. It looks like Square Enix heard those criticisms loud and clear after a hands-on event at their El Segundo, California office.

The demos combat was exceptionally easy. Making things even less challenging was allowing players to either start from the last checkpoint or spend currency to instantly revive Elliot if he died in combat. This gave death a low-stakes consequence during battles against simple enemies or bosses. They addressed this by creating four difficulty options, including Easy, Medium, Hard and Extra Hard.

Another change was in Faie herself. In the game, the fairy serves as a companion to provide advice, environmental commentary and more. This problem is that Faie talked a bit too much. That created a sliding scale of annoyance for enough players to become an issue. To remedy that, there is a setting in the options menu to lessen how often she speaks. (Image credit: Square Enix) This new hands-on starts outside of a dungeon built around various mirror reflection puzzles. Some mirror puzzles stretched across an entire room and required Elliot to move things around. The goal was to get a large boss key, which led to a boss fight against two mechanical enemies. One had a large sword, while the other one had a large crossbow. Fighting both of them wasnt difficult thanks to a mix of Elliots weaponry and Faies abilities. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

After that, the demo concluded at the Age of Time that allows our hero to travel to different time periods in the story. We were prevented from going any further, but the world of Philabieldia has plenty of things to do in the meantime.

That includes a few outside dungeons to get special weapons and abilities for Faie. One new ability showcased in the demo was an Ignite ability. Not only could it serve as a way to light torches for light and various puzzles, but had some usages in combat. This joins other abilities that the fairy can use, like a flight ability that lets Elliot move faster and a warp ability that places our hero anywhere Faie is.

While exploring another dungeon, I also came across the Catala Bow. This bow is not only more powerful than the standard bow but also has a charge
ability. This serves as a great addition to the arsenal of weapons Elliot has in the new demo. Joining the sword (and Dusk Sword upgrade), shield, bow and bomb weapons from the original demos are several other weapons. This includes the Sapling Spear, Hammer and Scythe Cain which serve many purposes depending on the enemy. What to read next Pragmata is one of the most original games I've played in years, and I'm not just talking about its unique puzzle combat Avowed PS5 review: Obsidian's fantasy action-RPG is better than ever on PlayStation 5 Stranger Than Heaven is the latest action RPGs that has all of my attention

Another ranged weapon addition is the boomerang that comes in pretty handy against enemies who are at a distance. These weapons are easily swappable via a press of the shoulder button. The same thing also works for Faies
abilities. There is an ability to upgrade weapons through the Magicite
system, but that wasnt available for me to try out. (Image credit: Square Enix) Making my way around Philabieldia I found myself in a Grandtree dungeon which featured a forest setting filled with bouncy lily pads and a cat companion that could be collected. However, I could only go so far as Faie suggested I come back during another time period. This definitely opens up
the possibilities of time period-based puzzles.

There was also a desert cave with quick sand puzzles that I was able to play around in for a moment. Faie even suggested I leave one dungeon entrance
alone as it might be beyond what Elliot could do in the game at the moment.

Playing the new build on a base PlayStation 5 , The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales visually looks on par with the Switch 2 demo with a tad bit more sharpness. The HD-2D graphics look better than previous Square Enix
games that have utilized that style thanks to the faster real-time action.

Plus, the art direction is pretty cool as well. On the audio side, the music is already sounding epic with a beautiful orchestral soundtrack (cleverly stripping down to piano when in menus) alongside some convincing voice
acting.

After playing for an hour, I was left wanting to dive more into Elliots adventures with Faie when it launches on June 18, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/nintendo/the-adventures-of-elliot-the-millenn ium-tales-trades-turn-based-combat-for-real-time-action


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