When Square Enix showed up at today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase with an unannounced action RPG packing HD-2D graphics, fairy friends, magic crystal customization, familiar sprites and character portraits, and a distinct emphasis on traveling, I was fully prepared for a Bravely Default or Octopath Traveler spinoff or installment that had ditched turn-based combat, echoing the recent trajectory of the mainline Final Fantasy games and the FF7 remake trilogy.
Instead, it turns out we actually live in the best timeline for once: this action RPG is all-new, every bit as gorgeous as Bravely Default and Octopath, and the proudly turn-based Octopath Traveler 0 was announced immediately afterward. Plus, it turns out the reason it looks so familiar is that it's from "the creators of Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default," per its announcement trailer.
Square's new HD-2D action RPG is The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, and it really does look like a punchy, dungeon-crawler version of Octopath, just with one playable character. It's coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026, an eShop exclusive demo is out today, and it genuinely looks great.
It's unclear if the game will come to other platforms, though it does currently sound like only the demo is a Nintendo exclusive. Octopath Traveler 2 notably came to all platforms, and Bravely Default 2 was eventually released on both Switch and PC. (Update: Square Enix has confirmed that The Adventures of Elliot is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2026 as well.)
This will sound far-fetched: you play as Elliot, an adventurer joined by a fairy named Faie on "a top-down journey in a wide-open world woven across time and space," Square Enix says. "Open new paths as you explore an untamed continent and reveal its mysterious history. Navigate battles with strategic support abilities provided by a helpful fairy."
We've only got one Elliot, but he's got seven weapon types, filling out the game's combat system with ranged and melee options. Weapons can be improved via equipable "Magicite" crystals, and Faie will also fight in combat or assist with puzzles (with optional co-op where player two takes control of Faie). It's a nice little surprise from Square Enix, which says it has a survey coming to gather player feedback from the demo.
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