Square Enix previews The Adventures of Elliot’s action combat before June 18 launch

Square Enix released a second demo for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales before the game’s June 18 launch on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.

Team Asano and Claytechworks built the prologue as a carryover test for the full game. Players can keep story progress and gear from the demo when they start the retail version.

The studio kept the HD-2D look that helped define Octopath Traveler, but players now fight through a top-down action system instead of turn-based party battles. The new setup pulls from 16-bit Zelda and Mana games, with direct movement, quick weapon swaps and enemy defense breaks.

Square Enix also used the demo to show changes from last year’s test. Players had criticized the old weapon customization flow because it pushed them into menus during combat prep. Claytechworks answered with the Magicite Box, a loadout tool that lets players attach elemental traits to gear during play.

Combat now asks players to manage seven weapon classes, including swords, bows, chains and sickles. Players can equip two weapons at once, target elemental weaknesses and break enemy guard meters before switching to heavier attacks.

The developers also raised Elliot’s base movement speed and changed the control layout. Those changes should matter on Nintendo Switch 2, where portable play favors fast reads and short combat loops.

The shift gives Square Enix a broader pitch. Players who skip menu-heavy role-playing games may find a cleaner entry point here, and longtime Team Asano fans still get the studio’s layered pixel art, town design and fantasy framing.

The business logic looks plain. Square Enix can keep HD-2D production costs below its largest console projects while testing new combat formats across platforms. If players respond to this demo, Team Asano gets a way to grow beyond turn-based nostalgia without abandoning the visual identity that made its recent games stand out.