The makers of Octopath Traveler have delivered a wonderful dungeon crawler and exploration focused action-RPG in The Adventures of Elliot.
After debuting a demo months ago, and listening very intently to keen feedback from players, we have a fine-tuned game here that shines particularly on the Switch 2 handheld.
A simple HD-2D top-down pixellated style works wonders both on that smallish screen and in the bigger docked TV mode. It is able to deliver a lot of personality and warmth despite being an old-school graphics design.
And the game - well it is great.
Gamers who love hours and hours of exploration and RPG fighting will simply love the grind in building Elliot up to take on ever-hard monsters and occasional boss fights.
The story revolves around Elliot, a charming and brave adventurer, who lives in the world of Philabieldia - a savage land overrun by fierce beasts.
There are hours and hours of exploration and RPG fighting to be had. When a mysterious set of ruins is discovered just beyond the protective walls of the Kingdom of Huther, humanity's sole homestead away from the beasties, Elliot and his fairy companion Faie embark on an epic journey across both land and time to lift a curse on the Princess Heuria.
The duo traverse a vast world across different time periods using the Doorway of Time and the lands are teeming with enemy hordes, hidden caves and ancient ruins. They are all there for wide scale exploration and plenty of fighting.
Elliot can wield seven weapon types, ranging from close-quarters swords to versatile chains and sickles that can reel in enemies. Each weapon is customisable through collectible magicite, allowing players to tailor their combat style.
And Faie's powerful Fairy Actions are formidable in and out of battle, whether she is striking enemies, retrieving hard-to-reach items, or aiding in exploration.
So it is about working together, battling different beast baddies, solving puzzles along the way by moving objects and hunting down keys for locked doors. All classic action RPG stuff.
The narrative is focused and takes you across a thousand years of time travel. The boss fights are challenging and push you to find unique weaknesses in your enemies, then using those gaps in their fighting styles and armours to defeat them. It is addictive as hell and the storyline and voice acting make you want to come back to push to the next part of the adventure.
The developers at Team Asano have pushed to appeal to a wider audience here with their action RPG gameplay, simpler to play perhaps than past efforts but no less rewarding.
And a more tightly focused narrative around one key hero also diverges from the past, giving a clear tale that is easy to follow and enjoy. For gamers seeking a tough challenge you can up the difficulty and those more casual players are catered for with a lighter experience that is more story driven.
It all works wonderfully for both types of gamer and they have done wonders here to take an old-school graphics style and infuse it with characters and personality.
A truly lovely action RPG that is easy to pick up for all types of gamers but is full of depth and longevity over a thousand years of adventuring.
Verdict: 4/5
