Round Up: The Reviews Are In For The Adventures Of Elliot: The Millenium Tales
Square Enix's new HD-2D title The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is finally out this week, and after two demos and a player survey, the reviews have now gone live.
If you haven't already taken a look at our own review here on Nintendo Life, we're impressed with not only Elliot's adventure, but also Square Enix's ability to adapt the art style to the action combat genre. Admittedly, we did encounter some performance issues on Switch 2, but thankfully it didn't get in the way of the variety and fun exploration the title has to offer.
Here's what other outlets had to say about Square Enix's new Switch 2 release:
GoNintendo - Review-in-progress
"All in all, my time with The Adventures of Elliot has resulted in a game that I’m always excited to return to. I want to see and do more, I want to delve deeper, I want to tackle one more shrine. The meat and potatoes of gameplay are top-tier, and the bells and whistles like Faie abilities and Magicite make for an even sweeter meal
"Still…I can’t shake the feeling that with a few more tweaks and quality of life features, The Adventures of Elliot could shine even brighter. What we have now is stellar and addictive and all kinds of entertaining, but with the tiniest bit of TLC, The Adventures of Elliot could be iconic."
"All in all, my time with The Adventures of Elliot has resulted in a game that I’m always excited to return to. I want to see and do more, I want to delve deeper, I want to tackle one more shrine. The meat and potatoes of gameplay are top-tier, and the bells and whistles like Faie abilities and Magicite make for an even sweeter meal
"Still…I can’t shake the feeling that with a few more tweaks and quality of life features, The Adventures of Elliot could shine even brighter. What we have now is stellar and addictive and all kinds of entertaining, but with the tiniest bit of TLC, The Adventures of Elliot could be iconic."
Nintendo Everything - 5/5
"The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a game that should have appeal not only to fans of Team Asano, the HD-2D series, or RPGs in general – but mass appeal across gamers of all stripes. Its focus on exploration, story, and tight gameplay make it one of the best executed action-adventure titles in years."
"The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a game that should have appeal not only to fans of Team Asano, the HD-2D series, or RPGs in general – but mass appeal across gamers of all stripes. Its focus on exploration, story, and tight gameplay make it one of the best executed action-adventure titles in years."
Vooks.net - 4.5/5
"The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales is not just an attempt to recreate the classic feel of Super Nintendo’s best action-adventure titles, it is a confident attempt to modernise and reinterpret it. A memorable world, flexible combat system, rewarding exploration and an endearing cast, it stands as one of the best, most engaging HD-2D classic by Square Enix to date. Some minor issues with depth perception and an overstuffed combat system stop it from being an all-time classic, but they do little to diminish what is otherwise an incredibly enjoyable adventure."
"The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales is not just an attempt to recreate the classic feel of Super Nintendo’s best action-adventure titles, it is a confident attempt to modernise and reinterpret it. A memorable world, flexible combat system, rewarding exploration and an endearing cast, it stands as one of the best, most engaging HD-2D classic by Square Enix to date. Some minor issues with depth perception and an overstuffed combat system stop it from being an all-time classic, but they do little to diminish what is otherwise an incredibly enjoyable adventure."
Nintenduo - 8/10
"The Adventures of Elliot has won us over with its approach and many of its ideas: a complete and accessible adventure for everyone, which looks fondly at the classic Zelda games, and perhaps even too much.
"The Adventures of Elliot has won us over with its approach and many of its ideas: a complete and accessible adventure for everyone, which looks fondly at the classic Zelda games, and perhaps even too much.
"In practice, the game is more action-oriented than puzzle-solving, making it a challenging experience at higher levels. Exploring space and time is an original mechanic that works brilliantly, giving each era its own distinct personality and a compelling reason to revisit previous levels."
"In practice, the game is more action-oriented than puzzle-solving, making it a challenging experience at higher levels. Exploring space and time is an original mechanic that works brilliantly, giving each era its own distinct personality and a compelling reason to revisit previous levels."
NintendoWorldReport - 8/10
"If The Adventures of Elliot become as numerous as the legends of Zelda, you'll find me a willing participant, despite the shortcomings of this maiden voyage. The inspirations are clear, but so too is the understanding of what makes for enjoyable minute-to-minute gameplay. The longer you play, the more the cracks begin to show, but the story manages to push you forward and the hidden plots beneath it make going out of your way an oft fulfilling detour. The red mage-looking Elliot has made a fan out of me, and if Link ever wants to take a break from stopping Ganon, Square Enix has a capable backup waiting in the wings."
"If The Adventures of Elliot become as numerous as the legends of Zelda, you'll find me a willing participant, despite the shortcomings of this maiden voyage. The inspirations are clear, but so too is the understanding of what makes for enjoyable minute-to-minute gameplay. The longer you play, the more the cracks begin to show, but the story manages to push you forward and the hidden plots beneath it make going out of your way an oft fulfilling detour. The red mage-looking Elliot has made a fan out of me, and if Link ever wants to take a break from stopping Ganon, Square Enix has a capable backup waiting in the wings."
So, that's what the critics think of the Switch 2 version of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. If you are still not sure whether or not to try it out, you can download the demo from the Nintendo eShop.
Will you be adding this game to your collection this week? Let us know in the comments.
It sounds like a great game, but after reading multiple reviews I have decided that this is a “wait for a sale” game for me personally. I’m looking forward to playing it when the time comes.
Definite buy for me once I get a Switch 2!
Does it have a super easy casual difficulty mode? Or something like FF7Remake has, ideally?
It reviews well! Wish everyone playing it having a fantastic time I will get to it myself too in time, give me six months or so for the current games though haha
@Jumwa There is an easy mode! Whether it is "Super easy casual" I do not know, but I played the demo on normal although I normally play everything on easy.
You can change the difficulty setting throughout.
My copy is delayed until tomorrow... Well it will be here for the weekend.
Got my copy already. So far it’s really awesome from a gameplay and story perspective.
Yea, this one is going to be added to my collection this year, for sure!
The demo for me was amazing. This is the most engaged I've been in a long time. I need to finish FF7 first, maybe, then I'll buy it.
Oh this one goes on the wishlist for sure!
I am slightly starting to feel the 2D/HD fatique a little so I'll wait a while before jumping in!
So glad those mentioned here overall enjoyed this so much (would be great if Square Enix further improved the game through patches to make it even better than it already is) - so looking forward to my copy to arrive and then playing it when I have the time for it!
I would normally wait for a sale, but once September hits, I will be busy for awhile with Trails 2 and Fire Emblem (launching on the same day!) So, we'll see. And then I've also got my big boy console for when GTA6 drops...
Disappointing that it’s just a Game-Key. Will be skipping it for that reason.
All of those half baked releases are doing wonders for my wallet though!
Unfortunately GKC only, so I'll skip.
Lately I have noticed becoming less and less interested in sw2 because of the GKC thing. I'm better off buying games on steam.
So it's good, but there really is no shortage of quality 2D-HD Japanese RPGs.
Just put it at the bottom of your wishlist and wait for a deep discount.
it's almost sad how much a bad name can put me off a game. no, it is sad.
@NeoGee why is it better buying digitally on Steam than digitally on Switch? Not debating just interested!
@NeoGee you can still sell game key cards and since most third party games will be gkc if you wont buy them you will miss out on a lot of switch2 games unless you play them someone else..
@johnedwin I can't understand how people still can't deal with it. It's a thing that's not going away.
@mjtaylor76 well purely from a financial perspective. Steam gives a lot of great discounts whereas Nintendo only does so periodically and less steep. So if I decide to buy digitally, steam is my preferred option.
@NeoGee well third party game key cards will go down in price over time ..
Finished the game last night It was a pretty great game overall. Beautiful and intricate environments, Main story was good enough to keep my interest, fun gameplay, dungeons needed some upgrade in terms of variability and branching (got more predictable as you continue the game), and an homage to the RPG old school Zelda. Overall was an 8/10 for me
I’ll be picking up my pre order today! It looks like my type of game, especially since I’ve always liked the hd-2d style.
I am very sure this is a nice game and it does appeal to me. But at the current price in Europe, I wait for it to go on sale. Its not that I am "out of games".
I gave it 7.5/10 on Zelda Universe. Great game, but just a couple little things holding it back!
I’m playing through Mario Odyssey for the third time lol. I’ve bought a ton of the S2 exclusives, but honestly the S1 library I have could keep me entertained for the rest of my life. S2 worth it just for the upgraded S1 games. So I’ll get Elliot on sale one day lol
No physical release is a dealbreaker. I refuse to support GKC's, and out of spite I won't buy it digitally either. I'm getting sick of these companies only putting out GKC's and ignoring proper physical collectors. This was the worst thing Nintendo could have ever done to the gaming industry by introducing these GKC's.
I'll probably be picking this up at some point, but I have a feeling the multiplayer isn't going to quite satisfy me and my wife. Six years ago maybe, but she's a for real gamer now so I'll probably have to be the fairy 😭
@Broch83
Thank you! I've gotten old somewhere along the line, and most new games are too difficult for my arthritic fingers and frazzled mind now haha
I've read that the story and dialogue are inane. Maybe the dev team should have gotten out of their own way on this one and kept the story to a bare minimum (a la original 2d Zelda).
I’m a little overstuffed on both Zeldalikes and HD-2D games atm (playing Mina and Octopath currently) but this definitely seems up my alley! I think I’ll wait for the first sale, though.
Definitely a refreshing game even if it is octopath traveler with real time combat. It’s crazy how no one can crack the Zelda formula. This comes close without the dungeon creativity and overall Zelda magic.
Shame it's a lame key card. I would have liked to have played this one.
@BloodWolfe I agree 100%. I've been a gamer for over 40 years and game key cards are by far the worst thing I've seen come from this industry, and from Nintendo of all companies. And yeah, if they think I'll be getting the digital versions instead they're dead wrong. Physical or nothing.
@Slain I've been gaming for 40+ years too, starting with the 2600 and the Apple IIe. I quit with physical over 10 years ago and never looked back.
I will get the digital version one day. Maybe
Willing to pay $5-10.
Not supporting key cards
Been really looking forward to this one. I have to read the full review to find out what cracks showing they are talking about, but regardless, I am looking forward to it.
I'm enjoying the game, but man, I don't have patience for the extremely childish fairy. She's always chipping in her two cents and it's usually repeating what the protagonist just stated. She has a bad case of 'captain obvious'. You can tone down the frequency of how often she makes these comments, but even on the lowest setting, it's too much.
@BloodWolfe
Keep fighting the good fight.
@-wc-
It seems like a play on The Legend of Zelda, but somehow simpler yet more clunky at the same time.
I would have gone with The Legend of Elliot: The Plumed Cap.
@kmtrain83
"Elliot" is a fine name IRL, but it goes in a certain category of names along with Bob, Steve, and Kevin. Maybe to Japanese audiences it sounds more dashing and exotic?
I don't need every hero to be named Slash or Flik or Jak, but c'mon. Elliot should NOT have made it past localization (remember 'localization?' 😂 good times.)
@devil76
Because some people take a position and actually stick to it?
Shocking, I know.
Most gkc releases are pure greed on the side of the publisher - a game like this can easily fit on a normal card. Up the price of the physical of you want, but to not offer it at all is stupid.
@roboshort yeah but this is the problem though. If you're into digital games it's fine, you've got that option, and I'm happy for people who prefer that. I have no problem with digital games if that's your thing. But for people who prefer real physical games, we no longer have that option. There should be the option for both digital and real physical, not this fake physical nonsense that excludes the gamers who want a real physical game.
@rallydefault Fair point.
@-wc-
Minecraft Steve takes offense at your comment.
I bet there are probably some corporate types out there who look at Minecraft being the best selling game of all time and think “we need to get more guys named Steve in video games.”
@kmtrain83
I'm so not aware of Minecraft, it's not even funny.
I'll bet you are right, though. plenty of industry execs probably saw the success of Minecraft and wondered why they'd wasted any time at all putting out artful games that challenge the player on an emotional level.
Incidentally I have seen beauty in what some players have created in Minecraft. ✌️
First HD-2D game I'll be skipping since it's a key card and there's no Switch 1 version to fall back on this time.
@mjtaylor76 I think it's that with PC not having start-and-stop generations like consoles do, long-term support is more reasonable to expect. You can buy some games on Steam that are older than Steam. And some games have been on Steam for 20 years now, older than any console eshop. While Wii purchases will still download from what I hear, DSi will not I believe. And you don't have to rely upon backwards compatibility policies since it's the same platform forever into eternity.
But even there, they don't want you bequeathing your collection, so include your email access and password in your next-of-kin materials. 😆
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