Official control guide : http://elliotquest.com/manual/manual.pdf

At the time of writing, there's no way to rebind them in-game.


D-pad : obviously moves Elliot around. Note that you cannot crouch, though you can stomp if you press down while in mid-air to bounce on some items (bubbles and some green slimy creatures). Also used on the world map, and in menus.

Back : pauses/brings up the settings screen.

Start : only used to bring up the menu at the title screen.

A : jumps.

B : opens up the inventory.

X : shoots with your bow.

Y : uses your currently selected item/power.

A, X and Y can be used to select/use an item/power in your inventory.

LB : dash forward while on the ground (once you've found the Winged shoes).

LB and RB : switches inventory pages (Inventory <-> Status <-> Key Items <-> Inventory)


Arrow keys : movement direction/inventory navigation

Esc : pause/settings ; skip cutscenes

Space : jump

Enter : open inventory ; skip cutscenes

D : shoot

S : use/magic

(Left ?) shift : dash (if unlocked)

It has been stated that Chain increases the odds of enemies dropping items.

Skills can be upgraded with skill points. You start at level one, one skill point is awarded for each level up, and the maximum level is 20, so you'll be able to spend a total of 19 skill points.

Your XP gauge can be seen at the bottom of the Status page (right page of your inventory) and fills up by killing enemies. Unfortunately, it resets when you're killed, so don't be reckless when near to leveling up : better grind a bit, level up then save, rather than keep exploring further, get killed and waste your XP !

There are 5 skills with 5 upgrades each (for a total of 25 possible upgrades), so that means you won't be able to max all the skills : you'll have to give up on a total of (minimum) 6 upgrades.

Here are the effects of the different upgrades, copied straight from the game :

• Increase shooting range
  
• Increase shooting range
  
• Power charge shot
  
• Increase shooting range
  
• Arrows not affected by gravity : WARNING, this may be a curse more than a blessing : in many cases, it's useful to be able to shoot targets that are below you. Picking this upgrade would permanently prevent you from doing it, as there's no way to re-spec your skills.

• Magic orbs might give double MP : magic orbs are those small dots you dropped by killed enemies or found in broken crates/jars.
  
• MP regen : your magic bar (i.e. the bar to the right of your health gauge) will very slowly regenerate.
  
• Magic orbs might give double MP : stacks with the first upgrade, for a total of 4 times the MP.
  
• Spells do more damage
  
• Spells cost half MP

• Improve shooting rate
  
• Improve shooting rate
  
• Improve shooting rate
  
• Run faster
  
• Chance to evade projectiles

• Hearts might give double health : hearts you pick up may give you two health points instead of one.
  
• Take half damage 15% of the time
  
• Hearts may give double health : that means more often than with just the first upgrade, though how more often is unknown.
  
• Health regen : your health gauge will slowly regenerate.
  
• Take half damage 30% of the time

• Increase criticals : increases the chance of landing a critical hit on an enemy. Critical hits deal double damage.
  
• Increase criticals
  
• Stun shot : each arrow has a chance to stun the enemy in place (in addition to dealing damage). Combined with a high shooting rate (AGIlity levels 1-3), this can lead to stun-locking an enemy in place.
  
• Increase criticals
  
• Killer shot : each arrow has a chance to kill an enemy, regardless of its current hit points. Does not work on bosses, of course…

Active items are the ones that can/must be used with the Y button. As far as I know, there's no item quick-swap. Items on the top row use magic, except bombs. Items on the bottom row don't consume anything, except single-use items, of course.

• Tornado : for a few seconds, makes you invicible to most attacks, attracts gold coins, life hearts, magic orbs, pots, mines, flying enemies (damages them a lot/often instakills them), flies along wind currents, and dashes through "bushes".
  
• Fire shot : fires a horizontal fireball that damages enemies, lights pyres (but strangely not lanterns), sets wooden boxes on fire, melts ice, and kills ghosts (after using the mirror).
  
• Thrown rock : throws a small rock upwards, with an angle varying according to the walking speed and direction. Rocks destroy wooden blocks and are the only way to damage and kill the "jumping spring machines" you'll encounter later in the game.
  
• Ice shot : fires a horizontal ice bolt that freezes large ennemies for a few seconds and turns small ones to a block of ice that can be pushed horizontally until they hit a wall or cliff. The ice block then disappears (and the enemy within) after a few seconds. It's the only way to kill the metal blobs.
  
• Bomb : drops a bomb with a short fuse, that destroys cracked bricks and damages ennemies (some enemies can only be hurt by bombs). Bombs differ from other items in that they are depletable. Each bomb bag you find or buy allows you to carry 4 extra bombs, to a maximum of 16 (12 for a "good" playthrough). Once found for the first time, bombs can be obtained from the area where the bag was located or bought in Elliot's village (4 bombs for 10 gold coins, requires double jump), and from the merchant in the desert. During the final dungeon you gain access to the more powerful pink bombs (they are bought for 50g and replace the first bomb in the bag).
  
• Shovel : the only missable item; it is not necessary to complete the game. It allows you to dig sand in front and below you. To acquire the shovel, you need to accept the Goddess' offer to turn back, exit from the portal that then appeared, then go though the forest area in the eastern part of the island, between the desert and the huge mountain, at the end of which you'll find the shovel. Arriving to this area prior to speaking with the Goddess will show a large stone with a feather symbol.
  
• Mirror : allows you to switch "mirror blocks" from tangible to untangible, and vice-versa. It also makes the ghosts killable with the fire shot.
  
• Fairy : summons a small controllable fairy that you can move to scout unaccessible places and activate some switches and statues, while Elliot remains immobile. Statues can then be moved left or right. While active, both the fairy and the statues deplete your magic. If you press the X attack button, go offscreen, or touch/are touched (either the fairy or Elliot) by an enemy, the fairy disappears and you instantly regain control of Elliot.

The last two slots of your inventory are for single-use items that you can either find or more often buy at merchants. You can have twice the same item.

They are :

• Red potion : refills all your life hearts.
  Costs 20 gold coins in Elliot's village or the mountain town's inn, and 10 gold coins at the mountain town's alchemist (if you've agreed to help him first).
  
• Green potion : refills all your magic gauge.
  Costs 25 gold coins in Elliot's village or the mountain town's inn, and 15 gold coins at the mountain town's alchemist.
  
• Yellow potion : refills both all your life hearts and magic gauge.
  It is sold for 25 gold coins at the mountain town's alchemist only, after you've given him 150 gold coins to start up his business, then brought him three yellow mushrooms (see next section).("YellowPotion" is the inventory flag)
  
• Feather : teleports you back to the world map at Elliot's village.
  Costs 30 gold coins in Elliot's village or the mountain town's inn.

Passive items affect Elliot permanently once obtained, and cannot be lost or depleted. They are displayed in the 3*3 grid on the right-hand side of the inventory screen. From left to right and top to bottom :

• Wooden shield/Golden shield : shields protect you from ennemy projectiles (i.e. not contact) hitting you from the front. The Wooden shield protects you when you're standing still, while the Golden shield also protects you when you're moving forward.
  
• Angel wings : allow you to double jump (press jump again while in mid-air).
  
• Stomp boots/Winged shoes : the Stomp boots allow you to bounce on green globs and floating bubbles if you hold down when jumping on them (most enemies can be stunned by stomping them). The Winged shoes allow you to dash forward by pressing LB (on an Xbox 360 controller) when on the ground (does not work in mid-air).
  
• Iron arrow/Silver arrow : increases your arrows' damage.
  The Iron arrow can be bought for 250 gold coins at the mountain town's blacksmith. It deals 50% more damage than the starting wooden arrow.
  The Silver arrow can be bought for 400 gold coins at the swamp shop in a hidden area accessible from a cave in the north of the world map. It deals 100% more (= double) damage than the starting wooden arrow.
  
• Power necklace : allows you to push stone blocks.
  
• Blue Skull key : allows you to open all of the locked big blue chests. The blue chests contain 30 gold coins.
  
• Blue book : gives mana regeneration (if you don’t have it yet) ou double its speed (if you have it already). Thanks to user vsd for that finding! It is obtained by using the Dragon shaped key to open the Asian styled house in the north of the map.
  
• Iron helmet/Golden helmet : decreases hit damage.
  The Iron helmet can be bought for 280 gold coins at the mountain town's blacksmith.
  The Golden helmet can be bought for 380 gold coins at the swamp shop in a hidden area accessible from a cave in the north of the world map.
  
• Candle : shines a small light halo around you and allows you to light up lanterns in caves/temples. Some of those lanterns may burn permanently, while others may only burn temporarily (to be confirmed again). Note that some pyres cannot be lit with the candle and require the fire spell for that.

Some items can be collected but do not appear in the inventory screen :

• Gold coin : has a $ value of one.
  
• Magic orb : replenishes a bit of your mana gauge.
  
• Heart : restores 1 heart (or more depending on skills unlocked).
  
• Heart piece : collect 2 to increase maximum health.
  
• Heart container : increases maximum health by 1 heart.
  
• Magic jar : increases the maximum size of you mana gauge.
  
• Experience scroll : gives you XP

Some items appear in a special inventory screen :

• Shell Shards : Obtained by slaying the large Tortoises in the western forest/waterfall area (bombs are needed). 4 are required to progress.
  
• Yellow Mushrooms : 3 are available * . Obtaining them and delivering them to the startup shop in the northern town grants access to the Yellow Potions which restore HP and Mana.
  
• Strange Item #1 : Lettuce stone: "A lettuce shaped stone called lettuce shaped stone." (first forest area). (Strange items are stored in Elliot's house in the southern village, the one with an old man and an area with 3 doors) (User vsd confirms that collecting all Strange items prevents EXP loss on defeat, and also lessens the required XP for leveling up by 2% per strange item).
  
• Strange Item #2 : Monster Backpack:"Monster Bag by ID1 Clothing" (behind the temple where the boots are obtained / In the desert (dark orange section between two tunnels)).
  
• Strange Item #3 : Purple Top Hat: "The Top Hat has something written inside it--It reads 'From Zombey to TheOnlyBit'"(located by going through the left wall in the house with a lady (northern town))
  
• Strange Item #4 : Meteor:"The elders say it's the origin of this world." (fire temple, might require 4 Crystals)
  
• Strange Item #5 : Surfboard. Located by digging in the beach south of the forest area (past the bridge).
  
• Metallic Key : Opens ??? (seems to have been required to access the secret shop but the requirement was removed from the game) . Located by digging in the beach area south of the temple of the 4 pillars. (item seems partly glitched, dropping multiple times for a single savegame)
  
• Old Key : Opens the hut in the southern area. Obtained from a fight-stage of the slime overworld enemy.
  
• Rusty Key : Opens mill in the northern town. Obtained for completing the graveyard rescue sidequest.
  
• Heart Shaped Key : Opens heart door building in the southern town. Obtained from an overworld fight-stage (Red bull in the central area).
  
• Dragon Shaped Key : Opens hidden building in the north, past the wind temple. Obtained from an overworld fight-stage (Blue Fox near the wizard's tower, past the ice dungeon).

There is also the Grey Toga, which is a New Game+/Hard mode unnamed item (nothing but the toga carries over). This is obtained by defeating the 4 collosi optional bosses and traveling to the hidden area behind the island. This also unlocks the arena.


* Mushroom Locations:
Mushroom 1: In the First Woods Dungeon Area
Mushroom 2: Between the First Woods Dungeon Area and the Trent Guardian Dungeon near the river there is a small area. The Boots are needed to access this mushroom.
Mushroom 3: In the Waterfall Dungeon Area

Current room is in white.

Boss room is in red (once visited).

Dark rooms are visited rooms.

Light rooms appear only if you've found the area map (a yellow scroll with dots) and are the unvisited rooms. Only a few areas have a map, mostly (exclusively ?) the temples.

The three pictures at the top of the status page represent your current karma, which can be either good, neutral, or evil, depending on your actions, and will affect which of the three endings you'll see.

You start the game with a neutral karma.

You need to finish the game with the good karma to unlock the New Game+ mode.

Several events/actions affect your karma level, for example returning the bomb bag to the child in the southern village(+), rescuing the child in the graveyard(+), obeying the Goddess Statue (+), opening people's chests(-), accepting the help of the rogue (-), defeating the Evil Wizard (optional boss requires 11 Crystals to access) (+).