Does The Millennial Tales of Adventurer Elliot really deserve IGN’s 8?

---

The Adventure of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, the RPG co-developed by Square Enix and Claytechworks, launched on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on June 18, with the PC Steam version unlocking on June 19. As of publication, IGN has scored it 8/10, while Steam user reviews rate it “Mostly Positive” at about 78%. So far, the response points to a game with clear strengths, but also one whose central idea does not fully come together.

The key question is whether the time-travel hook changes more than the backdrop. IGN is very clear on one point: the game’s HD-2D presentation is impressive enough to “once again prove why the HD-2D art style has become one of the most captivating visual styles in gaming today.” The catch is that if jumping between eras feels like little more than a visual swap, the concept stays surface-level instead of meaningfully shaping play.

More promising is the Magicite system. For players who care about mechanics, long-term appeal usually comes from the systems rather than isolated set pieces. It comes from build variety, experimentation, and different ways to work within the same mechanics. IGN specifically praised the system for the room it gives players to build and combine setups, which suggests the game has real depth for players who like picking apart an RPG's builds.

That also helps explain the response so far. An 8/10 from critics and roughly 78% positive user reviews on Steam is not the profile of an unquestioned masterpiece. Instead, it looks like a game whose highs and shortcomings are both easy to spot. On the plus side, IGN praised Elliot, the supporting cast, and a story with enough pull to keep players moving forward. On the downside, it argued that the differences between time periods are not pronounced enough, which can make enemies and environments feel repetitive. For an RPG built around time travel, that kind of repetition undercuts the sense of discovery the premise should bring.

The Steam response and IGN's review broadly point in the same direction. This does not look like a game carried by marketing alone, but one whose strengths and limitations are both easy to see. IGN also noted that Elliot and the supporting cast are strong enough to carry the story, which matters even more here because the game supports Chinese subtitles but has no voice acting. That puts more pressure on the writing and character dynamics to keep things moving.

If you are here for the HD-2D art, character-focused storytelling, and buildcrafting, The Adventure of Elliot: The Millennium Tales looks appealing, especially if you enjoy digging into RPG systems. If your main interest is time travel as a deeply layered mechanic, waiting may be the smarter call. Based on the response so far, its strongest points are character writing and build design, while the headline concept still seems only partly realized.