The Adventures Of Elliot Demo Review

A fun and promising start for a new and exciting IP!

Creative Studio 5 or Team Asano has been cooking lately. They just recently released an HD Remaster of Bravely Default. They recently announced Octopath Traveler 0.

On that same day, they made another huge announcement. This time, it was a new IP called Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. After playing the demo, I'm super impressed. We'll be exploring why this game is now one of my most anticipated games of 2026.

Intro

Adventures of Elliot begins in Philabildia, a continent taken over by beast tribes. Elliot arrives in the Kingdom of Huther, the final stronghold of humanity’s defense against the beast tribes. Ancient ruins have been discovered recently. The king of Huther charges Elliot with exploring these mysterious new ruins. Thus, Elliot’s adventures begin.

Presentation

Being one of Team Asano's creations, Adventures of Elliot has the studio’s signature HD-2D style. A style that is a fusion of pixelated sprites and 3D environments. So far, the game looks beautiful! Lately, I have been digging this style more. I’m happy Team Asano is still using this style. To me, it is a refreshing and nostalgic style.

Exploration

The demo allowed me to explore the part of the world outside the town. There is so much to discover in this new world. The game takes inspiration from to 2D Zelda games.

The overworld had various shrines and dungeons to explore. Both places have challenges and puzzles that reward you with gear, magicite, and items. Each conquered shrine gives Elliot a “Drop of Life” to boost his health, similar to the heart containers from Zelda.

The Kingdom of Huther

The Mysterious New Ruins

The Outside World of Huther

Faie

Accompanying Elliot on his adventures is Faie, a fairy. While Faie guides Elliot on his adventure, she aids him in the field. Faie can pick up items and attack enemies, too.

She uses her powers to help Elliot spring, which helps him get through obstacles. You can also solve puzzles with Faie’s sprint. Just hit the brakes so she and Elliot don’t crash.

Faie’s most useful ability is her wrapping skill. Elliot can command Faie to move ahead. Faie can teleport Elliot to her exact location. This allows Elliot to cross any gaps that he is incapable of jumping across.

I have even used it in battle to avoid enemy attacks or close in on them. It’s an excellent ability once you get the hang of it. However, it can get a bit annoying to use properly at times.

Interactivity

The one thing I love about exploring is being able to interact with the environments with tools and weapons. Elliot can pick up objects like barrels and throw them at enemies. You can also break barrels and other objects for hidden items and gear. Heck, you can even cut the grass, and you may be rewarded.

Elliot also has bombs, which he can use to blow through cracked walls for hidden passages. Bombs can also be used as weapons. You can throw them at enemies to damage them. The bombs remind me of both 2D Zelda games and classic JRPG, Wild Arms. That brings me to my next favorite thing about this game is the combat.

Elliot is using Faie's sprint ability.

Combat

While Adventures of Elliot is Team Asano’s game, the combat is not turn-based like its predecessor, Octopath Traveler. This time, the combat is action.

I don’t have a problem with turn-based or command-based games. I love them as much as I do action. At least, I almost do.

Team Asano wanted to challenge themselves, which is why they went with action combat this time. I love that they are challenging themselves. I won’t say no to an action RPG.

Weapon Variety

Elliot’s weapons involve a sword, a chain scythe, a bow, and a bomb. You have two weapons you can equip, which act as your primary and secondary weapons. I used the sword as my primary weapon and swapped between the bow and bombs for my secondary.

For close-range combat, I use the sword, which is a highly effective weapon. You can inflict a lot of damage with the sword. Attacking enemies with a charged sword can inflict major damage and knock them back.

For long range, I use the bow and arrow. At the same time, the bow and arrow are good for picking off enemies. You charge the bow with multiple shots to take down various enemies or inflict major damage on them.

Bombs can be used for combat, too. You throw them at enemies. Of course, you time it

right. You throw the bomb and inflict some major damage on the enemy.

Chain Scythe

Once I got the chain scythe from an optional dungeon. That weapon became my favorite one. The chain scythe is an excellent weapon!

It's not only powerful, but you take out scores of enemies with it. The chain scythe makes it a great weapon for crowd control. This weapon's best feature is its charge attack.

A charged chain scythe will cause major damage to an enemy. But it will also pull that enemy towards you. Then you can finish it off with a sword or a bomb.

Shield

Elliot can defend himself with shields. He raises to block enemy attacks. However, the shield has a gauge. If it runs out, Elliot will be defenseless without so it’s best to use it wisely. Of course, the shield gauge recharges when the shield is not in use.

Shields can also stun enemies with the right timing. If Elliot uses his shield at the right moment, he will block an enemy attack and stun them. The shield can also reflect projectiles right back at the attacker.

Magicite

In addition to weapons and accessories, Elliot is able to equip magicite. Magicites are magical stones that enhance Elliot’s weapons. They increase their strength, expand their range, or grant special abilities to these weapons.

Magicite is placed in a box with limited space. The number of magicite you can equip is based on the cost of your magicite.

You can have plenty of low-cost abilities to strengthen Elliot. Or you equip a couple of powerful magicite with a hefty cost. I went with a balanced set of low, medium, and high magicite.

I made use of a couple of magicites, which allowed me to plant extra bombs and increase their strength. This came in very handy when the Lord of Maw Boss.

Lord of the Maw

The combat shines the most when you face the demo’s final boss, the Lord of the Maw. To beat this boss, you have to be tactical and reactive. The Lord of the Maw attacks with streams of bubbles, tidal waves, and water pouts. This giant aquatic terror will also try to suck you into its mouth!

But you can throw a bomb or two into its mouth while it tries to suck you in. Bombs will detonate in the boss’s mouth, stunning it. In turn, its glowing antenna will be exposed.

This is the perfect time to dish out major damage. Punish it for sucking you into its mouth.

For its tidal wave attack, you can avoid it by jumping up the lily pads elevated by the waterspouts. Don’t bother trying to block with a shield. Jumping up the water spouts is the only way to avoid this attack.

As the boss gets low on health, it will call minions to help it defeat Elliot. This is when you’ll have to think on your feet. And be decisive with your actions and tactics. But this all made the combat feel thrilling yet tactical at the same time. When I finally beat the Lord of the Maw, I was very satisfied!

Lord of Maw Boss Battle snippet

The Door of Time

The demo ends on an intriguing note. After dispatching the Lord of the Maw, Elliot and Faie stumbled upon a mysterious door. This door appears to be a door leading to a different time.

Of course, stepping through the door ends the demo. While it was a good way to end the demo, it left me wanting more from Adventures of Elliot. Plus, the cliffhanger ending left me more curious about Elliot’s presumed journey through time.

More Adventures

The demo was more than enough to explore more of the Adventures of Elliot. The game looks beautiful in the HD 2D style. The exploration is vast and varied, with different locations to be explored. Finally, the combat is super fun, thrilling, and tactical.

I had a lot of fun with this game. And it left me wanting more adventures with Elliot and Faie. The game’s overarching plot about the Doors of Time has me intrigued. I look forward to the full game in 2026.

Sources: Videos are from my gameplay.