Square Enix's first HD-2D action RPG just got a playable demo

Square Enix has released a prologue demo for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales ahead of the game's June 18 launch. The trial version is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Any progress you make will carry over to the full release next month.

First revealed during a Nintendo Direct in July 2025, The Adventures of Elliot is a departure for Team Asano and co-developer Claytechworks. The studios previously focused on turn-based combat with games like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy. This new project keeps the familiar HD-2D visual style but shifts to real-time action mechanics inspired by classic Zelda games.

Time travel and combat

Elliot and his fairy companion Faie jump between different eras of a continent called Philabieldia. Players explore the world across four distinct time periods to piece together a thousand-year history. The story involves traveling through Doorways of Time to visit places like the Age of Reconstruction, a period set 250 years in the past where humans eke out a meager existence in small villages.

The overarching plot revolves around a conflict with the Beast Men. The Kingdom of Huther is humanity's last safe haven, protected by a magical barrier. The world has a dark history regarding this conflict. Characters openly wonder if the villagers are willing to submit to the Beast Men just to make their lives easier. Elliot has to venture outside the barrier to find answers.

Combat happens in real time. Elliot uses seven different weapon types. He can swing a hammer for heavy charge attacks or equip a boomerang to deal damage from a distance. You can also customize your build using a magicite system and unlock support abilities for Faie. If you find the Shrine of the Mystic in the demo, Faie can learn a Warp ability that lets Elliot teleport directly to her location during a fight.

He will need those abilities to survive the game's boss fights. Elliot uses elemental magic to fight early bosses like the Magic Wand Guardian. The demo also includes a dungeon called the Doorway Ruins, which ends with a fight against the Tag Guardians. This encounter forces players to dodge ranged attacks from a Great Bow Guardian and avoid a Greatsword Guardian at the same time.

Big bosses in pixel art

The shift to action combat allows for some massive enemy encounters later in the campaign. Elliot will face off against a giant mechanical boss named Maxim Guardis that uses heavy electrical attacks to control the battlefield.

The developers are leaning hard into visual spectacle for these fights. The pixel art scales up dramatically for large enemies. Late-game encounters include a cosmic battle between a flaming phoenix and a skeletal dragon. The story matches this high-fantasy tone. Characters deliver dramatic warnings about vast magical energy and the dangers of unchecked power.

I am curious to see how the HD-2D engine handles fast-paced action when the screen gets crowded with particle effects. Turn-based games can afford to drop the framerate during a flashy spell animation. An action RPG needs to maintain performance when you are dodging a giant mechanical fist. We will find out if the engine holds up when the full game arrives this summer.