Which is the best version of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales? PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 & PC compared

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, the first HD-2D action RPG, launches this week on PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox on PC, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2. Ahead of its launch, I've been testing The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales across Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally covering the Steam and Xbox on PC versions to see how the game scales, what I'd like fixed on specific platforms, and more to help you find the best version to play. While there is a demo available, I tested the full game in addition to checking to see if any technical aspects differed from the demo. 

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is also the first current generation-only HD-2D game with prior releases also released for Switch 1 and/or PS4. With this in mind, I was curious to see if it pushed HD-2D visuals, how it runs on handhelds, what to expect if you play on a 4K TV, and more. Note that these are based on the full game on all the platforms and also based on the opening hours. 

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales feature differences across platforms

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales doesn't have any content differences across platforms apart from the save data bonuses that might vary because every game is not available on every platform. Barring that, you get the usual platform-specific features on each console, but this is one case where the PC port is a bit lacking. I also am disappointed that Square Enix has opted to use the same low quality title screen video on every platform rather than have it render in-engine to match the platform's actual gameplay. 

Barring that, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has three graphics presets on console platforms and PC. These are low, medium, and high. They adjust the depth of field, vignette, and shadow quality. I'm not sure why they are present on PS5 and Xbox Series X given those don't really have issues on the high presets. On Switch 2, which I will get to, it does make a noticeable difference with performance.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales PS5 features

The PC version is quite bare-bones. It only features the same rendering settings or graphics options available on console in addition to a few display options. These let you adjust frame rate target (30fps, 60fps, 120fps), toggle v-sync, rendering resolution scale, and adjust display mode. If you played the demo, you likely were confused why the game was capped at 1080p or 720p for you. Even the full game has that issue and the only way to play it at your monitor's resolution is using borderless. I hope this is fixed in a patch, but it is still present in the full game build I have.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Xbox is a Play Anywhere game for Xbox Series consoles and Xbox on PC. It also supports Quick Resume. The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on PS5 has support for Activity Cards with tracking and power saver mode included. Beyond that, it has some DualSense haptics, but they aren't as good as in some other HD-2D games. All versions have reactive rumble including the Xbox version.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales visuals and performance differences across PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC, and PS5 Pro

Before getting to the differences, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is a heavy game to run. I say this because it is a lot more demanding than prior HD-2D games on PC, and it also looks very soft on Switch 2 compared to other consoles despite not delivering a locked 60fps on Nintendo's hybrid. Even getting a locked 60fps seems off the table for handhelds right now unless you're ok with a very soft visual experience like on Switch 2 during motion.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is an action RPG and you'd want to play this at 60fps if possible, but there is more to consider here. Given the aesthetic, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales has a lot of shimmering issues if you play on some platforms or render at a much lower resolution than your display. This results in an unstable visual experience that I didn't enjoy. You can't do much to resolve this on console, but you can on PC. 

Note: For the comparisons above, I captured gameplay through a 4K capture card and then cropped the captures to showcase differences in floor textures, clarity, and more.

This got me to look into how I can get it running and looking good on PC handhelds. I ended up opting for a 40 or 45fps lock with better visuals given the cutbacks were too much to get 60fps. This is also my issue with the Switch 2 version in general. Not only is it a lot softer than the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions, but it can't even hold its target frame rate perfectly while those appear to have no trouble with it.

When Square Enix announced this as the first current generation-only HD-2D game, I was hoping it would be designed for 60fps gameplay on Switch 2 and scaled up. Right now it definitely feels like a game built for more powerful platforms and then downported to Switch 2. This is similar to how I feel about Monster Hunter Stories 3.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Windows compiles shaders on initial launch, but it still has stuttering during gameplay. I tested this only on the ROG Ally and it did not feel good even when I tried running it on the lowest possible settings thanks to stuttering. Adam played through the entire The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Windows and also noted that it had stuttering like the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake PC version.

Note: For the comparisons above, I used the Switch 2 system capture and the Steam screenshot functionality on Steam Deck and ROG Ally. I then cropped the images and resized the Steam Deck one to show clarity difference across all three portables. The Switch 2 version looks a bit darker because of the clouds.

So my takeaway from spending at least a few hours with each platform is that the only way to get a solid 60fps (without any stuttering/hitching) is on the more powerful consoles, or potentially the Windows version running via Linux. I did not have time to test this, but I will do it in the future. I noticed some other recent HD-2D games deliver more stable performance on Linux than Windows thanks to Proton. You could also push things down on Steam Deck, but the image quality is not good enough for me to get 60fps.

As for visuals, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales shines at high resolutions. This isn't like Octopath 1, which I played on Switch 1 for over 150 hours, because the foliage and other environmental details have too much shimmering when running at subnative resolutions. The PS5 and Xbox Series X versions aren't a native 4K, but appear dynamic with a target of native 4K. I found the Series X looked a bit crisper in similar tests, but the PS5 Pro using Pro Boost Mode (for games that don't have PS5 Pro enhancements) delivered the best possible image quality right now. 

When it comes to portable play, the Switch 2 version sadly is too soft for my liking and performance doesn't hold up well enough. This is one I'd have preferred playing at 30fps with better visuals rather than the shimmering image with an uncapped frame rate. For context, I played every single HD-2D game until and including Octopath II on Switch 1, but The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales' visuals bother me a bit too much on Switch 2.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales full game Steam Deck recommended settings 

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium doesn't support 16:10 so your best bet on Steam Deck is 720p and the high preset with the frame rate capped to 30fps using the high preset or 45fps using the high preset at a lower resolution scale of around 70 or 60. A 60fps experience is not possible without making it look really bad and this is also one of the reasons I hope we get a quality mode on Switch 2. 

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Switch 2 recommended settings for the full game

Right now, The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium on Switch 2 has the same rendering options as other consoles and PC. This means, you can reduce the post-processing to get better performance. I would always disable the depth of field since I find it too strong in HD-2D games, but if you want to get the best possible performance, play on the low preset here handheld. Hopefully a potential sequel is built for Switch 2 rather than feeling like a down port all things considered.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales load times across Switch 2, PS5, Steam, Xbox, Xbox on PC, and PS5 Pro

To test load times, I measured the time taken to load the title screen from the platform dashboard and the time taken to load an early game save. I installed The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on the Switch 2 internal storage, PS5 internal storage, PS5 Pro internal storage, ROG Ally internal storage (Steam and Xbox on PC versions), Xbox version on the Xbox Series X internal storage, and the Steam version on the Steam Deck internal storage. Measurements below are in seconds and the Xbox on PC version can take longer depending on the syncing. I measured it thrice over the course of a week to get this range.

As you can see, the PS5 version is the fastest once again, with Xbox Series X and Steam following. The Switch 2 version isn't bad, but it is notably longer than other consoles.

Which version of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is the best?

Right now, the best version of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium to play on TV is the PS5 Pro or a high-end PC that can somehow avoid the stuttering. The base PS5 version isn't bad, but it will look a bit soft at times if you play on a 4K display. I recommend trying the demo to see how it runs on your hardware before committing to the PC version.

As for portable play, the Steam Deck delivers the most stable experience right now. If Square Enix can add a 30fps optional cap on Switch 2 handheld and increase the render resolution, that would be a better option since you get the flexibility of a hybrid system, but right now there is a bit too much shimmering for my liking when playing on Switch 2, and performance isn't even perfect despite the cuts.

Which version of The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales should you buy today?

Before concluding this article, I want to remind you about the save data bonuses if those matter to you. With that out of the way, 

• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Xbox: The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Xbox is a Play Anywhere title with Quick Resume support. If you have access to a PC handheld or play on Xbox Series consoles and PC, this is the one to buy. While the load times aren't as fast as the PS5 version, it makes up for it in resolution based on the parts I tested. Keep in mind that the Xbox on PC version has the same hitching issues as the Steam version though.
• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on PS5: If you want to play on your TV, care about trophy support, and don't care about portable play (unless you stream to a PlayStation Portal or phone), this is the version to get since it loads fastest and the PS5 version on PS5 Pro delivers the best image quality. 
• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Switch 2: If you value the hybrid nature of the Switch 2 more than anything else and can tolerate cutbacks to visuals, shimmering, and performance issues more than Octopath Traveler 0 to some degree, this is the one to buy. Hopefully Square Enix can add a quality mode and optimize the game more on Switch 2. It deserves better. 
• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Steam: The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales on Steam is solid, but not perfect on Deck, but the PC port itself needs to be improved. I shouldn't have to change display mode to adjust resolution with it being locked based on what looks to be screen DPI. I also hope the shader issues can be sorted for Windows handhelds. If you are ok tolerating hitching like in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, this is the one to get since you can play it on your PC and Steam Deck with cloud saves.

What I want fixed in The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales patches

Since this is the first brand-new HD-2D game to arrive on all these current platforms together, I hope to see Square Enix patch the PC version to address the stuttering, add an option to remove the screen shake and hit stop since I got motion sickness sometimes, and also bring in some more visual options on Switch 2. Hopefully this helped you decide where to play The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales if you want to play it at home or on the go. I will be revisiting this if any major updates bring any new visual options or fixes. 

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam). A Prologue Demo is available now, with save data able to be transferred to the full game at launch.