Square-Enix’s latest HD-2D title is The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, and its launch couldn’t have been better timed. While some may have had their fill of this art style, the veteran developer has pushed it a little further each time, and this wonderful-looking game is channeling one of the most beloved series ever. During the June 2026 Nintendo Direct, the company officially unveiled the long-rumored The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, set to hit Switch 2 some time in 2026. This iconic title’s return could be a nice holiday season money-spinner for Nintendo, and might even divert a little attention from the upcoming juggernaut Grand Theft Auto 6, but we don’t have a set date yet.
What’s certain is that there’s a wait of some months ahead. How can eager Zelda fans fill it? Serendipitously, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an action RPG that could be considered an HD-2D Zelda in all but name (right down to the hero’s boomerang). It even improves on certain elements of classic Zelda games. Step forward, our new flamboyantly red-caped hero.
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The Adventures of Elliot Embraces the Inspiration of Zelda
There are few adventure series as high-profile as The Legend of Zelda, and it’s little wonder that its influence can be seen across the genre. The formula of traveling a world map from a top-down perspective, conquering puzzle-filled dungeons, and finding an arsenal of new equipment along the way was essentially perfected by 2D Zelda classics like A Link to the Past (an extremely influential series entry which is still my personal favorite Zelda game ever). Some of the most acclaimed indie titles of recent years, such as Acid Nerve’s crow-laden 2021 hit Death’s Door, embraced some of these elements, and now here comes a similar AAA effort from Square-Enix.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
Right from the title screen, the game’s HD-2D art explodes with charm, and it’s a very different beast to excellent HD-2D JRPGs like Octopath Traveler. It’s an action RPG in which our hero, Elliot, tackles foes right there on the overworld as he traverses the dangerous land in which he lives. An adventurer in the Indiana Jones vein, Elliot is dispatched by order of the King of Huther to explore a set of mysterious ruins. He must leave the town’s mighty walls in order to do so, and this means tangling with the Beastmen that have taken over much of the realm. There’s a lengthy story to dive into here, and if you’re looking to collect absolutely everything, you’ll have your hands full for many hours.
The title opens up quite gradually. Elliot begins with a sword with a simple slash attack and a charge attack (activated by holding the button), plus a shield for blocking. As you progress, he’ll find different types of weapon and equipment as well as all kinds of varieties of Magicite for each weapon, an item that allows for lots of interesting customizations. One of the very first pieces of additional equipment, available in the prologue demo, is the Spin Back, the first boomerang. It’s at around this point that it’ll occur to players how extremely Zelda-like Square-Enix’s new game is.
Philabieldia Gradually Opens up to the Player, Just Like Hyrule
With Final Fantasy Resonance, that series is taking its first bold steps into the world of HD-2D. If the Zelda series were to be reimagined in this style, it would be an awful lot like Elliot. The inspiration of Link’s adventures is just so plain to see. When I first set off out of the city gates with my boomerang, shield, and sword, Elliot felt like a Link cosplayer in the best possible way. As the overworld begins to open up to you, and you find the main dungeons like the Desert Caves and smaller optional ones (which offer some suspiciously Heart Piece-esque collectibles and other items), this feeling only grows.
The formula of traveling a world map from a top-down perspective, conquering puzzle-filled dungeons, and finding an arsenal of new equipment along the way was essentially perfected by 2D Zelda classics like A Link to the Past.
It’s deeper than that, too. It’s about the very way that Elliot interacts with the world around him. Pieces of equipment and weapons also double as traversal tools, some in quite predictable ways. For instance, just moments after leaving the town’s walls, Elliot passed a stretch of wall with a very prominent crack in it. If you’ve ever played a Zelda game, you’ll have immediately surmised that bombs are unlocked at some point, and made a mental note to return to this spot with them as soon as possible. It’s a time-honored way to destroy rocks and cracked walls.
It’s my favorite kind of game design: not frustratingly difficult, but requiring resourceful use of everything in your arsenal and a keen eye for detail. The rewards from some of the optional challenge areas are great, but they’ll test you in all kinds of clever ways. All of this, to me personally, is the peak of Zelda-esque fun, but even more importantly than that, it has the same charm. The enemies are oddly adorable, the towns are quaint and atmospheric, and the varied dungeon designs are a joy to explore (as tricky as areas like the Water Ruins can be).
Elliot’s Adventure Doesn’t Copy Link’s Homework Too Closely
Despite all of this, it would be unfair and untrue to say that The Adventures of Elliot has simply “ripped off” Zelda. Though it shares very similar vibes, it’s very much its own beast in some ways too. Elliot’s title, as an action RPG, is very combat-oriented. That combat, with dashes and other evasive moves as well as all the customization options offered by the Magicite system, feels far more in-depth to me. It may not when you first begin the game, but the steady acquisition of new weapons and options means that it’s a system that’s always evolving. It’s similar to something like the Diablo series, in that you can find your favorite weapons and customizations and develop a formidable build around them. Faie’s upgrades and powers add further variety too.
When I first set off out of the city gates with my boomerang, shield, and sword, Elliot felt like a Link cosplayer in the best possible way.
The story itself takes some turns that Nintendo’s franchise hasn’t really explored in the same ways. I won’t dive too much into that as it’s for players to explore for themselves, but I will say that some fascinating things happen to the kingdom. As they do, one thing I’ve really delighted in is the voice acting. There’s a personality to these characters and even their portraits that’s really pushed to a new level here. You can also, and I can’t stress this enough, befriend cats. Lots of cats.
Ultimately, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales isn’t The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It isn’t claiming to be, and nor will its launch have the same sort of impact as this new remake of perhaps the most beloved video game of all time (though fans are split down the middle when it comes to some changes made to this classic). What Elliot is, though, is an incredibly timely arrival: if you’re desperate to play the Ocarina of Time remake, we sadly don’t know just yet exactly what we’ll get a chance to play it. In the meantime, though, Elliot is a fantastic appetizer for that main course; the most Zelda-like non-Zelda I think I’ve ever played.
- Released
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June 18, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
