The Adventures of Elliot is the brand new action packed 2D-HD game from Team Asano and Square Enix. Elliot is an adventurer, and once he discovers a door of time his time traveling trek begins in earnest. This game is destined to be a modern classic and could usher in sequels.
Elliot is tasked with saving the kingdom of Hurcaea and must travel to different eras through the doors of time. His travels take him to the era of Reconstruction, Magic, and Budding, showing off a changing world. The different eras might exist in the same space, but they are all quite different. The world changes so effortlessly, and it’s great seeing how events lead to later eras. There are so many links between eras that players will enjoy finding.
Elliot himself is an honest man and a hero. He does all that he does to make people happy, and he takes care to complete any mission he can. He’s eventually joined by a fairy named Faie, who can’t help but immediately take a liking to him and does her best to be as heroic as he is. Elliot meets a variety of characters throughout the eras, but Faie is definitely his greatest ally, and she can even be controlled by a second player. The story does start off a bit slow, and it’s a little predictable at first, but it slowly improves over the course of Elliot’s adventure. It’s worth sticking with it.
Combat is where Elliot really gets to shine. He can wield 6 different weapons, from the sword, to bombs, and even a chain and sickle. Each weapon provides a different combat style, and there’s plenty of opportunity to mix and match fighting styles depending on how the player wants to approach a fight. The weapons can also be upgraded, and so can Elliot’s shield, which lets him parry attacks and block to save his chain.
By chaining attacks Elliot can gain more treasures and tul, the currency of the game. The max chain is 30, but enemies are quick, and the chain can be broken just by falling or even touching a cactus. It’s definitely something to watch out for.
Combat can certainly be fast and frenetic. By switching between weapons, players can learn to truly chain attacks, and it’s possible to charge attacks for extra damage. Enemies can overpower Elliot in a hurry if the player doesn’t have a handle on the best way to take them down, so it pays to stay sharp.
Faie isn’t just along for the ride either. She gains five different abilities that can help increase combos, including the ability to set enemies on fire and teleport Elliot to wherever she’s hovering. Her abilities can be upgraded too, and they can truly be quite helpful, especially that teleport.
Magicite is the biggest boon to Elliot’s time traveling adventure. Players will find magicite early on, and can gather more of it through combos or by beating bosses. Gathering a lot of magicite is definitely a good thing, as it can completely change up Elliot’s arsenal. Using magicite fragments, Elliot can pull for magicite that gets associated with any of his weapons, and the effects are pretty amazing. They can increase the size of bombs, send out more arrows per shot, or unleash a sword beam. Changing up magicite can change up Elliot’s whole loadout, and players will have fun perfecting their weapons.
There are a number of artifacts to equip as well, and Elliot can have up to three equipped at once. These give him a number of abilities, from decreasing shield repair time to reducing damage and increasing magicite gain. It’s a good idea to change up the artifacts depending on the situation, and with so many choices, players can really make the selection their own.
Elliot will also find a number of shrines scattered across the eras. Completing these gives Elliot more health and enhances Faie, so it’s a good idea to explore the whole region and find them all to maximize the power of this dynamic duo.
Elliot must wander the eras fighting all sorts of enemies, from slugs to elephant warriors and plenty in between. These foes are often out for blood and will do their best to kill Elliot, who can be surrounded in an instant depending on where he is. The frenetic combat is easy to learn, but it could be a real challenge to master.
Elliot will face a variety of bosses too, and these are strong adversaries that can unleash big attacks, charged attacks, and even summon weaker enemies to help them out. These enemies range from 1-8 stars, and they can take Elliot to the brink, so it’s always good to be prepared for a boss fight. Players should definitely use Faie’s teleport ability to stock up on medicine, arrows, and bombs beforehand, since these bosses will not take it easy on Elliot.
There’s plenty to do outside of the main story too. Elliot can take on a number of quests throughout the eras, and it’s wonderful seeing what happens on them, as they definitely help fill the world out. Each quest gives Elliot a good reward, so it’s worth the player’s time to complete them all.
Elliot can also collect cats. Every time he finds one, he can bring it back to the kingdom, and gathering all of them nets a number of great rewards along with the chance to befriend 50 cats total. Each cat seems to have its own human voiced meow, so it’s genuinely fun tracking every one of them down.
The character art here is impeccable. The characters show off a good amount of emotion and are quite interesting to look at, and clearly denoting a character’s story importance in a game like this is a nice touch. The lip sync is excellent, and it’s thrilling to see new art pop up throughout the game. Team Asano has mastered the majesty of HD-2D, and Elliot shows it off beautifully. The world pops but maintains the classic magic of a 2D game, and it’s fantastical yet grounded and charming to boot. It’s certainly a work of art, and it’s great to see this medium keep improving.
The voice acting is also pretty good. It’s nice that the story and quests are fully voiced, and voice acting always is a blessing that helps make the world feel all the more vibrant. The addition of voiced quests adds even more charm, and it’s great to see voice acting used so effectively. The game does have a few different endings, so it’s worth playing through to the end, and the true ending is definitely worth getting, as it shows a true close to Elliot’s adventure.
The Adventures of Elliot is definitely a new classic, and one that fans of Team Asano and HD-2D games should absolutely play. It’s a timeless game with a pretty solid combat system and loveable characters. Elliot is sure to make a name for himself in this world- will the player help him do so?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
