As part of our The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales preview, I also had the opportunity to send in some questions to producer Naofumi Matsushita. As always, I would like to thank him for his time in answering our questions, as well as the Square Enix staff who translated the Q&A.
RPGFan: When talking about top-down action RPGs, The Legend of Zelda definitely comes to mind at the top of the discussion. But after getting my hands on Elliot, it seems there is a lot of inspiration from other amazing top-down action RPGs such as Falcom’s Ys series and Square Enix’s own Seiken Densetsu (Mana) series. Which ones, if any, would you say had the biggest impact on the approach to The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales‘ gameplay?
Matsushita: We anticipated that some players might draw comparisons between this game and The Legend of Zelda series when playing this title, so we’re truly honored by those parallels! However, throughout development, we were consistently inspired by Square Enix’s own action RPG heritage, such as the Mana series, particularly the Game Boy version of Final Fantasy Adventure. The Mana series was groundbreaking in how it blended RPG elements with real-time action combat, striking a balance between the thrill of action gameplay and the memorable storytelling of an RPG. That balance closely aligns with the core concept we set out to achieve with this title. Building on that foundation, we added unique elements such as the visual beauty of the HD-2D style, which is a specialty of our team, along with a controllable fairy companion and a story centered on time travel. The result is a game that offers a distinctive experience built around a balance of simplicity and challenge.
RPGFan: The Adventures of Elliot seems to be a step away from the turn-based affairs that Team Asano is known for, so I am curious if there were any hardships to adapting the HD-2D presentation style to a real-time, action-based combat system?
Matsushita: This is the latest entry in the HD-2D series and is an action RPG game. The appeal of the HD-2D visual style lies in its use of 3D backgrounds, which create a sense of depth in the maps and environments even though the characters themselves are 2D. One of the main challenges was finding a way to blend this strength with 2D action gameplay. In pixel-based 2D action games, the screen can easily become dominated by the ground plane of the map, making it difficult for players to feel any sense of three-dimensional depth and causing the visuals to feel somewhat flat. In this title, particularly in the overworld, we adopted a “drumroll” approach, curving the map into the background so that distant terrain becomes visible. By incorporating original techniques to further maximize the visible range, we were able to create an experience that conveys a strong sense of depth while still being a 2D action game. This was also an area where we spent a significant amount of time carefully fine-tuning the details in close collaboration with the development studio.
RPGFan: The two composers for this game, Tomohiro Nakamachi and Yuto Moritani, are newcomers to the team, with most of their work coming from games like Idolm@ster and Umamusume Pretty Derby. How did they end up on the team, and how do you feel their music aligns with the visuals and story of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales?
Matsushita: We were introduced to them by the music production company IMAGINE and selected them from a large pool of composers. Even after narrowing down to two candidates, we had them create demo tracks so we could choose just one. However, given the scope of this project, which spans multiple eras and requires a large number of tracks, and the fact that both demo tracks were excellent, we decided to have both of them work on the project. I’m really happy to have been able to work with these young composers and I’m excited for you to listen to the full soundtrack in the game!
RPGFan: Playing the demo for The Adventures of Elliot felt really smooth, and after trying out all the weapon types, I definitely gravitated toward the chain scythe with the bow as a backup to take out more pesky mobile enemies like those giant chicken mages and archers! What are some of your favorite weapons and combinations that you gravitate toward while playing the game? Also, do you have any that you can’t wait to see players experience when the game comes out?
Matsushita: I’m so glad you had a smooth experience! Thank you for the kind words. As for my favorite weapon, I like the chain and sickle myself. It’s fun because it offers a good balance for fighting at both close and long range. When it comes to weapon combinations, I preferred switching the other weapon to the boomerang or spear, depending on the situation, so I could use one for close combat and the other for long-range attacks. Opinions were actually quite divided among the development team. Asano liked the boomerang, while Director Fukebaru-san preferred the hammer. Rather than pushing any specific choice, since there are seven weapons to choose from, I’d be happy if players could take the time to find their own favorites. There might be concern about ammo counts for weapons like bows and bombs, but depending on how you customize your magicite, that issue becomes less of a problem. So, I’d love for players to experiment not just with the weapons themselves, but also with the magicite they pair with them.
RPGFan: Even though I only got to use about three of Faie’s abilities during the demo, I was happily surprised by how useful and creative each ability was. I am very much looking forward to seeing what else she can do. So my question is, was Faie always the plan to be Elliot’s companion, or was she someone created out of necessity to complement Elliot on his journey?
Matsushita: From a very early stage, we knew we wanted to include a partner character, and that she would be a fairy. We also decided she would have five unique abilities, so her role in the gameplay was defined fairly quickly. As development went on, we expanded her role further by having her praise the player in various ways through her voiced lines. Since action games often involve the protagonist progressing alone in solitude, we wanted to make the journey feel more lively and engaging. That’s one aspect that really evolved over the course of development.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales releases on June 18th, 2026 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC! If you haven’t yet, be sure to read my hands-on preview of the game.
