This week, I wanted to go on a slight tangent around the game I’m featuring. During last week’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, SquareEnix showed off a few games. The one that caught my eye was the reveal of The Adventure of Elloit: The Millennium Tales. Like Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveller, they dropped an early demo. This game, slated for release in 2026, offers an early look for those interested. They also plan to give people the opportunity to share feedback to help with development. From what I’ve played, I’m eager to see more.
Another 2D-HD classic in the making
I’ve become a massive fan of SquareEnix’s 2D-HD slate of games. They’ve done a great job of creating games with unique looks and engaging gameplay. I haven’t played them all, but I always appreciate this art style. The Millennium Tales takes this art style and gives us an action-RPG.
This game’s main focus is quick combat. Like the 2D Zelda games, Elliot will explore many different areas. In this playtest, after spending some time in the opening town, you will venture into a few sections. I spent time exploring a forest area, walking through a beach zone, before visiting a swamp.
They also tease you with brief glimpses of areas you can’t access quite yet. It feels like there is a much larger game here. It’s not all accessible, but it gives you an idea of what you can expect with the full game. Also, there is no noticeable loading when moving from different areas. The only loading was when you enter a dungeon, cave, or building.
How much of this will be in the full release?
This playtest focuses on a task the King of a nearby Kingdom gives you. There are monsters causing problems, and Elliot is “hired” to help take care of them. After you spend a bit of time in the town, you can either rush towards the game’s main goal or take your time and explore. I went with the latter option and found a lot of extra content.
While exploring, I found a few special buildings. These have challenges that reward you with extra health. I also came across two caves that rewarded me with upgraded weapons. I’m not sure if these are specific to this version of the game, since it feels odd to get this many upgrades so early on.
You also come across these upgrade gems, called Magicite. You can use these to increase Elliot’s strength and other perks. This is an interesting system, but you don’t get too many opportunities to fool around with it. It feels like these feature plenty of customization options. But this early in the game, you don’t have to tweak too much
Not a fan of Faie..yet
My only gripe with the game is a small one. Elliot has a companion character, called Faie, who is both good and bad. Her good is that she has abilities that aid in Elliot’s adventure. You get access to two of them. The first gives Elliot a temporary burst of speed. This is a great function that lets you quickly move around. It also lets you bypass some sections since you move at such a fast pace that you can glide in the air for a short time.
The other is a warp ability. Using the right analog stick, you move Faie to a location, and then you can warp Elliot to that spot. This is also helpful and necessary for a few of the later parts of the game. You can only use one at a time, and there is a limit to how many times you can use them before Faie needs to recharge. This is fair since the developers wouldn’t want players to exploit this feature. I do wish the way to change them were a bit easier. As far as I could tell, you have to go into the menu to change the ability Faie has.
Unfortunately, Faie is annoying. She chimes in about everything. If you’re playing with the sound up, you’re going to hear her a lot. She comments if you don’t block. She’ll respond if you walk in tall grass. I can’t think of a scenario where she didn’t offer some sort of comment or response. I hope for the full game that they tone this down a bit. Companion characters don’t need to be as vocal as she is. For all the great things she does, I need her to talk less.
Can’t wait for 2026
Other than Faie’s voice acting, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales was a blast to play. I was hoping the demo would be a bit longer. It feels like I explored everything I could, and my play time was a little over an hour. In any case, I can’t wait to play more next year. This is, without question, one of the games I’m most looking forward to playing in 2026.
