What is Final Fantasy?Time was that question would have been easy to answer - they were Japanese RPGs with turn-based battles, familiar monsters and epic stories - but anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of gaming has probably realised that Final Fantasy isn’t what it once was.There are those who feel angered by the changes recent entries in the series have introduced, while others, like myself, have rather appreciated them. When I say that Final Fantasy isn’t what it once was, I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s just that the brand that has been synonymous with JRPGs for decades has branched out.

Loading

“ What all these different types of Final Fantasy games have in common is that they offer players deep and engaging immersion in a fantasy setting.

Loading

“ We wanted to make it more accessible for all users rather than just core gamers, so there are some areas and elements we decided not to include in the final version.

Loading

“ We won’t necessarily go back to turn-based though; it’s all about us making the right decision for the title we’re working on.

Loading

It’s this that makes Lightning Returns so exciting. Not only is it the franchise’s parting shot on this generation of consoles, it’s also the conclusion to the brand’s first trilogy, one which has been divisive to say the least. Several of its features, like the action combat system, also appear to be preparing series stalwarts for the more action-orientated Final Fantasy XV A cursory glance at the announced upcoming Final Fantasy titles makes it clear that the franchise is in a phase of intense transition. With this in mind, there was one question I had to ask as soon as I sat down with Lightning Returns’ director Motomu Toriyama and gameplay director Yuji Abe: Just what does the Final Fantasy moniker mean these days?"Since then though, I think the environment in which gamers play has experienced quite a drastic change. Now, we need games angled towards more casual gamers as well as those for more high-end players, like Lightning Returns. But what all these different types of Final Fantasy games have in common is that they offer players deep and engaging immersion in a fantasy setting. That’s what we always think of when we’re creating a new Final Fantasy."In essence then, where Final Fantasy once called to mind turn-based JRPGs with lots of menus, that’s no longer compulsory. Given that Square is placing increasing focus on the mobile and tablet market, it should come as no surprise that its core franchise is a part of that strategy.This doesn’t have to be a negative thing though. Final Fantasy XIV should make it clear to any doubters that the developer is capable of branching out from the traditional JRPG roots of the franchise… even if it doesn’t always get it right on the first attempt. Just as A Realm Reborn succeeded by learning from the original Final Fantasy XIV’s failure, so too has Lightning Returns learnt from the complaints levied at the first two instalments. Hence the decision to bring back popular faces, offer a more open world, and continue to tweak the combat system."We obviously opted for a real-time battle system for Lightning Returns," Abe stated. "I think one of the main reasons that we did this was we thought that that particular system would be the best suited to match the very high specs and the high-end graphics of the game. But as Toriyama-san touched on earlier, this is a time and an era of diversity. So there are different types of games; different types of gamers, and different types of gaming environments."If we’re making games for iPad and tablets, something like that, maybe it’s not all that important for us to implement a real-time battle system. So I think each time we need to identify what would be the best approach for each of the existing consoles. If real-time works, we’ll go for that, if turn-based feels more appropriate, we’ll use that. We won’t necessarily go back to turn-based though; it’s all about us making the right decision for the title we’re working on."An accusation that’s been fired at Square over the years is that Final Fantasy has been dumbed down in a bid to cater to the lowest common denominator. Indeed, many view this as the reason that combat’s been changed; supposedly hack ‘n’ slash combat is much more palatable than turn-based battles. I pitched this to the developing duo, fully expecting to get an evasive response. What Abe actually said to me, however, was surprisingly candid."Now, looking at the game as it is, I do sometimes feel that…okay, even though it was the right decision for us to exclude those elements in order to make it more accessible, I might have been able to still make it intuitive and easy enough so that those not so proficient at gaming could enjoy it."At the moment in the battle system, unless you get defeated by the monsters you’ve taken on, you’re not going to lose any time. A time-gambling element isn’t included but, in the original version, if there are some things you don’t do so well you lost some time. That element could have stayed, I think, but we wanted to keep it accessible."For Toriyama and Abe then, it seems we keep coming back to the same thing: the way the Final Fantasy brand is going to stay relevant is by being flexible and adapting to whatever the situation requires. It’s irrefutable though that the Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy has been instrumental in diversifying the series, for better or worse.So, what is Final Fantasy today? It’s true that it’s not the JRPG-focused franchise that once was. It’s whatever it needs to be to survive.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor and big Final Fantasy fan. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter