It’s been a quiet first half of 2026 for RPG fans, but that’s about to change with The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, out June 18 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. It’s the first action RPG from Square Enix’s Team Asano, the developers of the Octopath Traveler series, Triangle Strategy, and the 2022 Live A Live remake.
The Adventures of Elliot brings together elements of Chrono Trigger, the Mana series, and old-school Zelda — all presented in Team Asano’s iconic HD-2D art style, which evokes the classic pixel-art aesthetic of the 16- and 32-bit eras while allowing for modern flourishes and depth of detail.
Adventures of Elliot producer Naofumi Matsushita and director Tomoya Asano spoke with Polygon via email about the game’s setting, its riff on a familiar Final Fantasy series staple, and the game’s influences. The interview below has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What can you tell us about the four eras Elliot visits? How do they differ from one another?
Matsushita: The story takes place across the same land in different eras, with the lives of its people evolving from one period to the next. Through the Doorway of Time, Elliot travels back in time from the Age of Safekeeping, allowing him to witness and experience these changes firsthand.
- Age of Safekeeping: A time in which people live in relative peace thanks to the blessings of Heuria’s spell of Safekeeping. Elliot lives in this era, and within the story it marks the point at which the narrative begins, commonly referred to as “the present day.”
- Age of Reconstruction: A time in which civilization has collapsed, and humanity stands on the brink of extinction. With magic lost, people live under constant threat from beast tribes and struggle daily to survive.
- Age of Magic: A period in human history when civilization flourished most, thanks to magic. Magic-powered elevators and magical creatures are commonplace, and people enjoy lives that are far more affluent and elegant than during the Age of Safekeeping.
- Age of Budding: A time before humanity had acquired magical powers. During this era, the primordial races lived in small villages, cooperating with one another to survive. They, too, faced constant threats from beast tribes, and life was both harsh and modest.
How does making an action RPG allow you to take a new creative direction after making turn-based and strategy RPGs?
Matsushita: The appeal of the HD-2D visual style lies in its use of 3D backgrounds, which create a sense of depth in the maps and environments, even though the characters themselves are 2D. One of the main challenges was finding a way to blend this strength with 2D action gameplay.
In pixel-based 2D action games, the screen can easily become dominated by the ground plane of the map, making it difficult for players to feel any sense of three-dimensional depth and causing the visuals to feel somewhat flat. In this title, particularly in the overworld, we adopted a “drumroll” approach, curving the map into the background so that distant terrain becomes visible. By incorporating original techniques to further maximize the visible range, we were able to create an experience that conveys a strong sense of depth while still being a 2D action game. This was also an area where we spent a significant amount of time carefully fine-tuning the details in close collaboration with the development studio.
What is the challenge of centering a game on a single character?
Asano: In titles like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy, our team primarily focused on ensemble-driven stories, so centering an entire narrative around a single protagonist was a challenge in its own right. This time, however, we deliberately narrowed our focus to one main character, and the title itself was also a conscious decision.
With The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, we want players to immediately understand who the protagonist is and what kind of adventure awaits them simply from the name alone. We also designed the game so that players can intuitively understand what to do as soon as they begin playing. Our goal was to make the experience approachable for a broader range of players than ever before. Rather than seeing these as challenges, we approached development with these ideas firmly in mind.
What are some of your favorite aspects of the magicite system? What customization options can players expect to have?
Matsushita: With seven different weapon types available, we designed the game with replayability in mind from the very beginning. Even after completing the game once, we wanted players to find themselves wondering, “What would have happened if I had used a different weapon?” With that in mind, we designed the magicite system to be somewhat gacha-like, allowing players to have a different experience each time they play through the game.
One aspect I’m particularly fond of is how this system sparks curiosity, encouraging players to experiment with magicite for weapons they wouldn’t normally choose, simply because of what they happened to obtain. Depending on how you customize your character, you can, for example, create a damage-focused sword build that maximizes the power of relentless slashing attacks, or a shield-oriented defensive build that allows you to fight more safely.
We designed the system so players can tailor their playstyle to suit their preferences based on the weapon types they choose. While only two weapons can be equipped at a time from the seven types available, we encourage players to experiment with different combinations and finetune their magicite builds to match their preferred playstyle.
The Debut Demo reminded me of the older Legend of Zelda games in a wonderful way. How do you strike a balance between innovation and familiarity?
Matsushita: We anticipated that some players might be reminded of The Legend of Zelda series when playing this title, so we’re truly honored to receive comparisons like that! However, throughout development, we were consistently inspired by Square Enix’’s own action RPG heritage, such as the Mana series, particularly the Game Boy version of Final Fantasy Adventure.
The Mana series was groundbreaking in how it blended RPG elements with real-time action combat, striking a balance between the thrill of action gameplay and the memorable storytelling of an RPG. That balance closely aligns with the core concept we set out to achieve with this title. Building on that foundation, we added unique elements such as the visual beauty of the HD-2D style, which is a specialty of our team, along with a controllable fairy companion and a story centered on time travel. The result is a game that offers a distinctive experience built around a balance of simplicity and challenge. We hope you enjoy this first completely original action RPG created using the HD-2D visual style.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales will be released June 18 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
