Recurring elements in the Final Fantasy series

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games (RPGs). The eponymous first game in the series, published in 1987, was conceived by Sakaguchi as his last-ditch effort in the game industry; the game was a success and spawned sequels. While most entries in the series are separate from each other, they have recurring elements carrying over between entries: these include plot themes and motifs, gameplay mechanics, and visual elements. The Final Fantasy series features recurring thematic elements, including magical crystals and creatures such as the Chocobo and Moogle which have appeared in multiple roles. Numerous writers have worked on the series, including Sakaguchi himself, early writer Kenji Terada, Kazushige Nojima, and Yasumi Matsuno. Some settings and specific themes have been used in multiple installments and subseries, including the fictional world of Ivalice, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythos. The art design for the series has been associated with multiple artists: the three most prominent being Yoshitaka Amano, Tetsuya Nomura, and Akihiko Yoshida. Amano designed characters up to Final Fantasy VI and continues to design each game's logo, Nomura has designed characters for multiple games since Final Fantasy VII, and Yoshida has been involved in XII, XIV, and games associated with Ivalice. The original gameplay created by Akitoshi Kawazu was based around Dungeons & Dragons and Wizardry. Starting with Final Fantasy IV, the Hiroyuki Ito-designed ATB system took prevalence: variations of the ATB system have been used in multiple entries since then. These various elements have been positively received by critics over the series' lifetime, contributing to its overall worldwide success, with the gameplay and narratives frequently cited as setting a standard for RPGs.