Three hours vanish without you realizing it—and you don't mind one bit.
From the studio that reshaped the JRPG landscape with Octopath Traveler, Team Asano now ventures into real-time action with The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales — a game that, in preview form, already demonstrates the rare quality of making hours feel like minutes. Set for release on June 18, 2026, it asks whether a beloved visual formula can carry new mechanical ambitions, and early evidence suggests the answer is yes. In a medium crowded with spectacle, Elliot distinguishes itself through the quieter virtues: intuitive design, genuine curiosity rewarded, and a world that invites wandering without demanding it.
- Team Asano has broken from its own turn-based tradition, betting that the HD-2D aesthetic can anchor a fast, fluid action RPG without losing what made it special.
- A fairy companion named Faie introduces layered abilities — warping, invisibility, fire-setting — that threaten to overwhelm but instead cohere into a system that makes experimentation feel genuinely rewarding.
- Dungeon puzzles demand real creative thinking, boss encounters carry weight, and the open world hides secrets without burying the player in waypoints or obligation.
- Performance held firm at 4K and 60fps on base PS5 hardware, and the sound design was singled out as exceptional — small signals that the full release may be technically sound as well as creatively ambitious.
- The June 18 launch across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC positions Elliot as a potential landmark title, provided Team Asano sustains preview-level quality across the complete game.
Thirty minutes scheduled. Three hours gone. That's the experience that defined a hands-on preview of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, Square Enix's upcoming action RPG from Team Asano — the studio responsible for Octopath Traveler and the HD-2D Dragon Quest remakes. What's immediately striking is the direction Team Asano has chosen: rather than the turn-based or tactical systems their catalogue is known for, Elliot delivers real-time action built on clean, intuitive controls. Move, jump, map two weapons, and go. In an hour on a base PS5, the game proved itself capable of rewarding both quick reflexes and careful thinking.
A dungeon preview section set the tone early — light beams reflected through mirrors, platforming woven into combat corridors, and enemy encounters that felt snappy without tipping into frustration. At the center of it all is Faie, a fairy companion whose abilities extend well beyond decoration. She sets fires, enables sprints, and warps Elliot to otherwise unreachable positions. Her toolkit can be upgraded, and chaining her abilities together — a warp behind an enemy, a turn invisible, a sneak attack — crosses from mechanically sound into genuinely fun.
The open world rewards the kind of wandering that modern games often punish with relentless objective markers. Hidden caves and small trials surface organically, and the game trusts the player to find them. Performance stayed steady at 4K and 60fps throughout, and the sound design was exceptional enough to warrant its own notice. If Team Asano can carry this quality into the full release, Elliot may stand among the finest HD-2D titles ever made. It launches June 18 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
You sit down for thirty minutes. Three hours vanish. That's the feeling that lingers after spending time with The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, Square Enix's upcoming action RPG from Team Asano, the studio behind Octopath Traveler and the recent HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest. It's the kind of game that makes you lose track of time entirely—and you don't mind one bit.
Team Asano has taken the HD-2D formula that made those earlier games distinctive and pushed it in a direction that feels genuinely fresh. Where you might expect turn-based combat or tactical positioning, The Adventures of Elliot instead delivers real-time action. The controls are clean and intuitive: move with the left stick, jump and interact with the face buttons, and map two weapons to your preferred attack buttons. In an hour of hands-on time on a base PS5, the game revealed itself to be something that rewards both quick reflexes and careful thinking.
The dungeon section of the preview demanded puzzle-solving that required genuine creativity. Light beams needed to be reflected through rooms using mirrors, with platforming sections woven throughout. Combat encounters felt snappy and responsive—Elliot's movement is quick, and the rhythm of finding openings in enemy patterns felt fluid rather than clunky. On normal difficulty, the challenge landed just right: present enough to matter, not so overwhelming that frustration crept in.
What makes the experience cohere is Faie, a fairy companion who functions as far more than a sidekick. She brings her own set of abilities: setting fires, enabling sprints, warping Elliot to previously unreachable locations. These abilities can be upgraded, and the combinations feel genuinely satisfying. Chaining a warp behind an enemy, turning invisible, and landing a sneak attack isn't just mechanically sound—it's fun in a way that makes you want to experiment further. Faie's toolkit also serves exploration and traversal, opening up the world in ways that feel organic rather than gated.
The open world itself rewards wandering. Hidden caves, small trials, and discoverable secrets dot the landscape without overwhelming the player or pulling focus from the main path. There's a sense of true exploration here—stumbling onto something worthwhile without the game constantly nudging you toward objectives. Performance held steady at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second throughout the preview, and the sound design deserves its own mention: it's exceptional, the kind of audio work that pulls you deeper into the world.
What emerges from all this is a game that feels confident in what it's trying to do. The action focus is realized through straightforward controls that never feel simplistic. The puzzles actually make you think. The boss fights are engaging rather than rote. If Team Asano can sustain this quality across the full game, The Adventures of Elliot could stand among the very best HD-2D titles ever made—and that's a high bar. The game launches June 18 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Clear your schedule. You'll need more time than you think.
Notable Quotes
If Team Asano maintains this quality throughout the full game, it could rank among the best HD-2D titles ever made.— Preview assessment
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made this feel different from other HD-2D games you've played?
The action focus, honestly. When you see HD-2D, your brain defaults to turn-based or tactical. This game moves in real time, and the controls are so clean that combat feels like a conversation between you and the enemy—you're reading their patterns, finding openings, adjusting on the fly.
The fairy companion—is she just a gimmick, or does she actually change how you play?
She's essential. Her abilities aren't window dressing. Warping behind enemies, setting fires to solve puzzles, unlocking new paths—you're constantly thinking about how to chain her powers with your own actions. And you can upgrade them, so she grows with you.
You mentioned losing three hours without noticing. What kept pulling you back in?
The exploration, mostly. The game doesn't force you into a linear path. You find things organically—a hidden cave, a small trial off the beaten path—and it rewards curiosity without making you feel lost or overwhelmed. That balance is rare.
How did the puzzles feel? Were they frustrating or satisfying?
Satisfying. They made me think, but not in a way that felt unfair. The light-beam puzzle I encountered required me to actually visualize the solution before executing it. That's good design.
If this game stumbles in the full release, what would be the most likely culprit?
Pacing. An hour is a perfect window—everything feels tight and purposeful. If the full game loses that focus, if it starts padding content or repeating ideas, that magic could evaporate. The challenge will be sustaining what makes this preview work across 20 or 30 hours.