Hands On: The Adventures of Elliot Fixes My Biggest Problem with Square Enix’s Modern RPGs
The article critiques pacing issues that have become endemic to Square Enix’s smaller RPGs over the past decade. The author argues that while this problem isn’t unique to Square Enix, modern gaming in general struggles with well-paced storytelling, largely due to the prevalence of open world busywork and increasingly verbose dialogue delivery. Japanese RPGs are particularly affected by this trend. The author identifies what they call the “visual novel-ification” of dialogue as especially damaging, where lengthy conversations force characters to repeatedly explain the same plot points to each other. Adding to this issue is the common design requirement that every party member must have lines of dialogue, regardless of whether their contribution meaningfully advances the narrative. “The Adventures of Elliot” appears to represent an attempt to address these persistent pacing problems, though the excerpt cuts off before revealing the specific design solutions or improvements the game implements. This critique of modern JRPG design choices reflects broader concerns within gaming communities about story delivery and player engagement in the genre.