The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Review – Square Enix’s Next Great Adventure – MonsterVine

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales appears like an incredible begin for an thrilling new collection from Square Enix. The story and facet quests are endearing and stuffed with nice moments, and although the gameplay does get a bit repetitive in the direction of the top, the quantity of exploration and customization out there is extremely spectacular. I hope Elliot will get to participate in additional adventures, as I see quite a bit of potential on this new franchise.

I’ve at all times cherished the 2D entries of The Legend of Zelda greater than the 3D ones, and wished there have been extra video games that actually nailed that feeling of exploration and puzzle-fixing. This want gave the impression to be granted with the announcement of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales final 12 months, and I’ve been having a improbable time verifying this, as I’ve been shocked at simply how a lot I’m digging Elliot.

On the floor, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a simple motion-journey recreation corresponding to contemporaries like The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink to the Previous. You wander a considerable world map with a sword and a secondary software (like a boomerang or bow) useful. Fight is easy however clean, and discovering gradual upgrades to your toolset all through the caves and dungeons scattered about offers a constant and correct sense of development that additionally rewards exploration.

The greatest factor that units this title aside from related friends, although, is its use of the fairy Faie. Utilizing the appropriate analog stick (or one other controller for some native co-op), you may management your fairy companion along with Elliot, in addition to use her unique powers. Faie’s expertise add an enormous quantity of enjoyable and technique to The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, as utilizing her to teleport about or set enemies ablaze whereas additionally preventing as Elliot creates a frantic however by no means overwhelming fight system. Having to maintain up a combo counter with out getting hit to acquire higher drops is an impressed addition, fusing a bit of the “character motion recreation” circulation into this pretty easy system.

Leaping between the completely different eras in The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is one of the perfect elements, because the world map incorporates a shocking quantity of variations in every. I’ve been fairly invested in exploring caves and discovering secrets and techniques in every period, because the treasures are just about at all times well worth the time you place into discovering them. Exploring completely different sections of dungeons relying on once you go to is one other neat mechanic, because the ravages of time make sure ranges open up or shut, permitting for additional exploration.

I do, nonetheless, want that The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales unfold out its software-discovering a bit extra. It didn’t take lengthy for me to seek out all the principle puzzle instruments all through the story, so the latter parts of the sport got here off as extra of the identical on account of a scarcity of new objects and puzzle selection. There’s an elective weapon you’ll find in a while, but it surely’s not likely used outdoors of fight, so it doesn’t treatment the difficulty.

The narrative of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales isn’t particularly sophisticated, but it surely works properly. There’s a “fairy story” high quality to the principle story, which sees Elliot go between eras to partake in smaller vignette-like tales as half of his bigger quest to assist undo a curse that’s been put upon the Princess of his time. Every period’s solid is memorable and helps make the overlapping tales stand out with out turning into complicated, and although the themes the sport explores aren’t something new or loopy, they’re delved into simply sufficient to justify their presence.

The facet quests play a significant position in rounding out the sport’s world and story, typically offering you with new views on the supporting characters and their conditions. I adore it when facet quests truly contribute to the narrative like this, because it marks the stakes really feel larger and the setting extra fleshed out. Additionally they present you a bit extra of Elliot’s character and beliefs, making them greater than price enjoying as they change into out there.

I’m a giant fan of the HD-2D fashion normally, and The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales continues to show why it’s such a improbable look. The combo of nostalgic and properly-made character sprites with bigger, 3D worlds alongside sharp lighting creates a “diorama” impact that particularly works on this recreation, because it provides to the aforementioned storybook really feel. The extra motion-heavy cutscenes are easy sufficient to work within the fashion, and exploring the world is straightforward due to how distinct every space appears from the others.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has distinctive voice performing.

The voice performing is properly-completed, too, with most of the sport’s strains being exceptionally delivered. Elliot has a likable kindness to him that radiates by way of his voice, portraying him as a form of “gentleman adventurer.” I’ve heard folks complain about how a lot Faie chimes in throughout gameplay, however I’ve actually by no means been particularly bothered by her. She actually repeats a pair of strains a good quantity, however even with out ever going to the Settings to decrease her dialogue frequency, I haven’t been all that irritated by her.