The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Review – HD‑2D Zelda‑Like Action RPG
A heartfelt look at Square Enix and Claytechworks' HD‑2D action RPG: nostalgic Zelda vibes, lovely art and music, but chatty companions and a nasty fairy‑FPS bug temper the fun.
I booted up The Adventures of Elliot with a weird mix of nostalgia and suspicion — it’s literally what happens when Octopath’s HD‑2D meets classic top‑down Zelda. The game sells itself on gorgeous visuals, a fairy sidekick named Faie, and time‑hopping through four ages to lift a princess’ curse. What hooked me fast was exploration that rewards curiosity and the tactile feel of action combat. What annoyed me equally fast were overbearing companion chatter and a performance quirk some players hit with the fairy on screen.
Exploring Philabieldia, One Shrine at a Time
The core loop is comfortingly simple: I run, slash, dodge and experiment with seven weapon types while Faie helps with support magic and puzzle‑solving. You can equip two weapons and swap tactics on the fly — sword for nimble combos, spear for reach, hammer for crowd control — and magicite customizes those weapons with passive effects. Exploration is the real carrot: hidden paths, secret chests and little environmental puzzles reward poking into corners. The world spans four ages via the Doorway of Time, so areas get revisited with new tools and new surprises, which makes backtracking feel purposeful rather than tedious. Combat is action‑oriented but approachable: a normal fight is rhythm and timing, while bosses ask you to mix weaponry, Faie support and mobility. There’s a pleasant satisfaction to landing a charged attack, following up with a fairy spell, and feeling damage numbers pop without the slog of grinding.
Faie and the Magic of Time (and Magicite)
Where Elliot really differs from its inspirations is Faie and the magicite system. Faie isn’t just a cursor of hints — she’s a gameplay tool: summonable support attacks, puzzles that react to her spells and the option for limited manual control or AI support. Magicite behaves like a modular loadout: mix and match to alter weapon behavior, proc rates and elemental add‑ons, which encourages trying weird combinations just to see what clicks. Time travel across four distinct ages spices things up narratively and mechanically: an obstacle in the Age of Budding can become a traverseable bridge in the Age of Reconstruction. The result feels like a compact Metroidvania‑adjacent loop inside a Zelda‑like shell: revisit, repurpose, and find new ways through familiar places.
HD‑2D, Soundtrack and Performance Quirks
Graphically this is peak Claytechworks: lush HD‑2D sprites with convincing lighting, water shimmer and lots of lovingly animated details. The soundtrack is warm and often catchy — it pushes the mood whether you’re meandering through a town or fighting a mid‑level boss. Accessibility options are generous: difficulty settings span from chill to proper challenge, and there are toggles for dialogue verbosity and voice volumes (which you will use if you dislike constant chatter). Now the elephant in the room: at launch many players reported a severe FPS drop when Faie is summoned on certain Intel/Nvidia setups and on some Steam Deck builds — the frame‑rate falling from 120fps to about 40fps. I experienced none of that on a high‑end desktop, but it’s a widespread complaint that affects purchase recommendations for some users. Also, some dungeons lean towards handholding and can feel mechanically thin compared to the exquisite presentation.
The Adventures of Elliot is a cozy, well‑crafted HD‑2D action RPG that scratches a nostalgic itch while adding enough modern hooks to stay interesting. I’d recommend trying the prologue demo first (save carryover is a bonus) — it shows the strengths and the annoyances in under an hour. Buy it if you love Zelda‑style exploration and Claytechworks’ art, but if you’re on an affected rig or hate backseat companions, hold off until performance and voice options are refined.
Pros
- Gorgeous HD‑2D art and lovingly animated world
- Tactile, accessible action combat with meaningful weapon variety
- Magicite customization and time‑age revisits add replay value
- Demo lets you carry over saves — try before you buy
Cons
- Companion chatter and constant voice cues can grate
- Performance issues on some Intel/Nvidia setups and Steam Deck
- Some dungeons and puzzles feel hand‑held or uninspired
Player Opinion
Player feedback is a mixed bag but lopsidedly positive: most folks praise the HD‑2D presentation, soundtrack and that warm Zelda/Mana nostalgia. Many reviewers say combat feels satisfying and the magicite system adds enjoyable customization. On the flip side, a large number of users complain about the chatty companion and intrusive voice lines — several people muted voices entirely. The loudest, recurring technical complaint is the so‑called ‘fairy FPS bug’ where summoning Faie on certain Intel/Nvidia machines (and some Steam Deck configs) causes frame‑drops to ~40fps; that’s kept some players from recommending a purchase until patched. Overall the community trend: if your rig is solid and you don’t mind a talkative sidekick, you’ll probably love it; if you’re on a problematic setup or hate constant chatter, wait for fixes or patch notes.