As somebody who grew up playing games with chunky pixels, the HD-2D art style is a dream come true for me. It’s the perfect evolution of those nostalgic visuals, made all the better thanks to modern lighting and resolution. The whole world seems to agree that HD-2D games are pretty much always beautiful to look at, and some of the best RPGs and tactics games of recent years have used it to great success. It’s much rarer to find anything faster paced with this art style though, and that mainly seems to be because it’s glorious nostalgia bait for those who grew up playing SNES Final Fantasy games and the like. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has more in common with Zelda than Cecil and Kain though, and demonstrates another great use of HD-2D.
Your role in The Adventures of Elliot is that of Elliot, who you guessed it, is an adventurer. In the fantasy Kingdom of Huther, humans aren’t really the dominant race. In fact they only have one walled city to live in, which is defended exclusively by the magic of the princess. Adventurers are the brave few who explore outside of the walls, fighting countless monsters in hopes of making important discoveries. When new ruins are found about a five minute walk from the city, they need someone to investigate it in case it contains ancient knowledge. Obviously you’re the only one up to the task.
Elliot is an immediately likeable protagonist, with a laid back attitude and a kind heart. He adventures to help the people, with the children of the orphanage he grew up in all looking up to him. When recommended for this mission he immediately agrees to help, and sensing his kindness the princess casts a spell on his earrings so she can talk to him and see how the adventure is going. This duo of do-gooders are just very charming, even in the face of great peril.
What starts as a basic reconnaissance mission soon becomes something more serious, as a door across time is discovered and immediately used for evil. This time travelling part of the game is where the story really starts to get interesting, as the snippets of history you’ve found on your journey are brought to life when you’re suddenly a part of them. Humanity’s path through this world has had a whole bunch of twists and turns, and experiencing them first hand is rather compelling.
Not all of The Adventures of Elliot is spent chatting and reading though, far from it. With beastmen lurking around every corner, you’ll need the slice your way through a whole lot of enemies to get around. Elliot starts his adventure with a basic sword and shield, and can slash, perform a charged attack, and block incoming attacks with his shield a few times before his guard is broken. The combat immediately feels satisfying, and you’re rewarded for performing well in it.
There’s a whole combo system connected to the combat, which essentially just builds every time you kill an enemy without dying. As you raise this higher you increase your drop rating, which makes enemies more likely to give you more goodies when they’re smashed into pieces like a piñata. This system really encourages you to be careful with your attacks, and this is made much easier when you have more than just a sword to deal with foes.
The sword is but one of many weapons you’ll find on your quest, and you can equip any two at a time. Adding a boomerang to my arsenal was immediately appreciated for a bit of ranged damage, then bombs and a spear came along and (pun intended) blew everything else out of the water. Having so many options is especially helpful against the often rather challenging boss fights, which are made easier with the right kit. Some of the weapons will even help with exploring too, which is one of my favourite aspects of the game.
There’s a sprawling world to investigate in The Adventures of Elliot, across multiple time periods. With loads of caves and dungeons to explore, alongside various chests and shrines, there’s always another path to check out with rewards of currency or upgrades waiting at the end. As you unlock more equipment and powers you’ll open up more of the map, and will be rewarded for backtracking handsomely. I couldn’t help but investigate every inch of the map as I progressed, and enjoyed pottering round all the gorgeous biomes at my leisure while battering fools.
If all The Adventures of Elliot provided was good combat and exploration I’d be a pretty happy fella, but it’s got so much more than just that. Much of this comes from the magic you unlock with Faie, a fairy companion who helps you out and then decides to come along on your journey. Faie is controlled with the right stick, and can lightly attack enemies and grab loot (often without much need for your input). She also learns magic throughout the game, which provides even more ways to explore the world and deal with beasts. Familiar spells like fire can light torches and burn flammable foes, but there are also more interesting abilities like cloning and teleporting that help with combat and dungeon puzzles alike.
Another fantastic way you’ll get stronger as you play through the game is by using Magicite, which are special shiny stones. These pretty rocks that can be found or crafted, and equipped to add buffs to your weapons. These are really meaningful upgrades too, like adding fire to your arrows or stun potential to your bombs. Playing around with Magicite and seeing which random ones you craft is always entertaining, and unlocking more points to equip extra feels like a game changer.
There’s also plenty of side content in this massive adventure, like quests which provide extra activities to partake in and lovely rewards. You can also find and collect cats which a particular character will appreciate greatly, and adds a bit of cuteness to the proceedings. Faie has magic challenge mini games you can play too, which are arcadey score attack games that help you get better at magic in a fun setting while unlocking songs. This feels like a fully fleshed out experience with so much to do, that you could easily get lost in and enjoy for a long time.
It probably goes without saying, but alongside all the other wonderful elements of The Adventures of Elliot, the game looks absolutely beautiful. Getting to actually enjoy frantic fights in HD-2D is such a treat, and alongside the gorgeous locales it’s a joy to be in this world. The soundtrack is almost as beautiful as the visuals too, and both really add to the experience.
That said, the start of the game is a little slow, and it takes a while for all the elements to come together. The time travel element brings with it a negative too, as you’ll quite often end up exploring the same very similar caves multiple times in case a chest appears, which just gets a bit samey. Some will also struggle with the repeated voice lines, and although companion lines can be reduced, Elliott’s attack soundbites can’t.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a wonderful experience that delivers fantastic combat, gorgeous visuals, and a whole lot of content. This time travelling epic is the total package, and is yet another HD 2D treat that you can’t afford to miss.
