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Team Asano’s Elliot Launches as HD‑2D Action RPG to Favorable Reviews

Square Enix applied the studio’s signature HD‑2D look to a real‑time action game after a demo-driven update cycle to show the style can work beyond turn‑based JRPGs.

Overview

  • The Adventures of Elliot released on Thursday, June 18, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC with early aggregator scores in the high 70s to low 80s that reviewers generally called favorable.
  • The game uses a single explorable map repeated across four distinct eras so locations, enemies and traversal change by time period, a design praised for variety but widely critiqued for producing repetitive enemies and underused time‑travel mechanics.
  • Critics praised the HD‑2D presentation and tight real‑time combat that lets Elliot equip seven weapon types and work with a fairy companion, Faie, while a Magicite system lets players customize weapon behavior.
  • Square Enix and Team Asano shipped demo‑informed quality‑of‑life changes before launch, including a setting to reduce Faie’s dialogue, and the game offers about a 20‑hour main experience with generous save points, fast travel and multiple difficulty options.
  • For Team Asano the title marks a clear genre shift from its turn‑based work and the demo‑first, iterative approach suggests Square Enix may broaden HD‑2D into other game styles if Elliot’s solid reception holds.