The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Review

When a game features a hero in a hat, armed with a sword and shield, tossing bombs and boomerangs, and tasked with rescuing a magic‑wielding princess under a curse, it’s hard not to think of The Legend of Zelda. And indeed, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales wears that resemblance openly.

Developed by the creative team behind Octopath Traveler, this new release is a departure from their trademark turn‑based RPGs. The question, then, is whether Elliot’s journey is simply a familiar echo of Nintendo’s iconic series, or something worth experiencing on its own merits.

Give it a chance, and you’ll find that The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales offers more than you would expect. Stepping into Elliot’s shoes reveals a world brimming with charm, challenge, and surprises that make the adventure feel fresh, even as it recognizes its inspirations.

The Chrono Trigger Feels are Strong

Journey across the vast land of Philabieldia as Elliot, a renowned adventurer celebrated not only for his skill but also for his compassion. From the opening hours, it’s clear why his reputation shines so brightly. What sets The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales apart is that Elliot’s quest spans not just regions of Philabieldia but also its different eras, weaving a narrative that explores prejudice, tragedy, and hope. The tone grows darker and more mature as the story unfolds, elevating it beyond a simple save‑the‑world tale.

Each Age of Philabieldia is distinct, separated by centuries that reshape the land and its people. The Age of Safekeeping, Elliot’s home era, offers relative peace and modernity, while the Age of Restructuring depicts a harsher time when beastmen attacks kept villages in constant fear. These contrasts make every time period feel unique and worth exploring, ensuring players remain invested in seeing the adventure through to its conclusion.

Elliot’s journey is enriched by a diverse cast of characters. Each era introduces new allies who reflect the struggles of their time, from humans to beastmen, many with stories tied to the land’s history. Unlike silent protagonists of old, Elliot is fully voiced, offering his thoughts and convictions throughout the journey. His willingness to act and do what’s right reinforces his role as a true hero, while the supporting cast adds humor and personality through their interactions.

That said, some characters do fall into familiar archetypes, which may limit their long‑term memorability. While the narrative keeps players engaged until the end, whether Elliot’s tale lingers after the credits roll is less certain. What will endure, however, is the sheer enjoyment of the journey itself because gameplay remains one of The Adventures of Elliot’s strongest achievements.

This Feels Familiar

Whatever its inspirations, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales delivers an accessible yet rewarding action RPG experience that balances fairness with challenge. Elliot can wield two of the seven available weapons at any time, alongside his ever‑present shield. Apart from the sword, players can experiment with the hammer, bow, spear, chained sickle, boomerang, and bombs, each offering distinct ranges, damage profiles, and tactical advantages.

Combat variety is further enhanced by the Magicite System. Weapons can be customized with Magicites that alter their properties, from boosting damage and critical rates to reducing charge times for special attacks. This layer of personalization ensures players can tailor their loadouts to suit their preferred playstyle.

Elliot’s fairy companion, Faie, adds another dimension with versatile magical abilities. Apart from elemental spells, Faie can light torches, grant bursts of speed, summon a doppelganger to mimic Elliot’s moves, or even teleport him to her position. These abilities prove invaluable not only in combat but also in solving environmental puzzles. Faie can also be controlled by a second player, elevating the experience into a co-op adventure.

Boss encounters in The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales are tougher and require pattern recognition and resource management, offering a satisfying challenge without reaching the punishing extremes of Souls titles. Exploration across Philabieldia is expansive yet manageable, with maps designed to encourage curiosity. Structures, dungeons, and points of interest are marked as players acquire key items, rewarding thorough exploration with upgrades and loot.

Fans of Zelda will feel instantly familiar with the setup, with puzzles that grant health‑boosting shards, scattered treasure chests, destructible grass and pots, and even light platforming. Progression is gated by clear item‑based roadblocks, such as bombs for cracked walls, for instance, ensuring that as Elliot’s arsenal grows, so too does the world’s accessibility.

Dungeons strike a satisfying balance in scale and design, never overstaying their welcome. Their puzzles and locked‑door mechanics feel fair, rewarding persistence without dragging the pace. Altogether, Elliot’s journey shines brightest in its gameplay loop, where exploration, combat, and customization combine into an adventure worth seeing through.

A Literal Link to the Past

A strong action RPG thrives on presentation, and The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales delivers with its striking 2D‑HD visuals. The blend of sprite‑based characters and 3D environments evokes a retro charm while maintaining modern polish. Detailed touches, such as rolling clouds, fluid character animations, and vibrant artwork, give the game a nostalgic yet contemporary aesthetic. Even from its top‑down perspective, certain scenes manage to look breathtaking, proving that pixels and sprites can still inspire awe.

Audio design complements the visuals with a sweeping fantasy soundtrack. Adventurous themes accompany exploration, while darker dungeons pulse with foreboding and fast‑paced tracks. Major and supporting characters are voiced, enhancing immersion.

The Japanese cast delivers consistently strong performances, though the English voice work is uneven, some well‑acted, others stiff or overly hammy. Faie, Elliot’s fairy companion, is particularly divisive: invaluable in gameplay, but her constant commentary can quickly wear thin. You can’t even lessen or turn it off, which can be irritating as the game progresses.

Outside of combat, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales offers engaging diversions. Temples challenge players with puzzles and rewards, while Faie’s expanding repertoire of magic introduces unique mini‑games. Her teleport ability, for instance, transforms into a gauntlet challenge where players must warp across platforms, dodge hazards, and collect discs that unlock music tracks. These side activities provide refreshing breaks from the main quest, adding depth and variety to the adventure.

Despite occasional missteps in voice direction, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales’ audiovisual presentation and creative distractions elevate the overall experience. It’s a world that feels alive, nostalgic, and rewarding to explore, proof that presentation can be as vital as gameplay in keeping players invested.

Verdict: 9/10 Buy it!!

There’s no denying that The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales borrows heavily from The Legend of Zelda, particularly classics like A Link to the Past. Yet rather than being a drawback, this foundation serves as a proven blueprint, one that Square Enix builds upon with its own creative flourishes to deliver a memorable experience in its own right.

In many ways, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales feels like a literal link to the past, echoing the pixel‑and‑sprite era of Square Enix before the studio’s leap into modern visual spectacles. It’s a game that invites both nostalgia and discovery, offering retro‑styled fun that can even be shared with a friend through cooperative play.

Ultimately, The Adventures of Elliot is a heartfelt journey through time worth embarking on. Do yourself a favor and join Elliot as he carves his place in Philabieldia’s history.

*The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales was reviewed on a PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.