That Final Fantasy 8 Landmark Merits More Appreciation

This FF franchise includes countless iconic settings. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a cherished place in players' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so unique. However, when it comes to one place that deserves more recognition than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly weird school.

An Pure Blockbuster Reveal

Before, we must address the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This location was not just intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to create new tactics and reposition, based on the needs of those in command. I easily consider it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more unforgettable moments in gaming history.

A First View of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial look of the environment this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the impressive size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears futuristic, but also somehow angelic. The curvy structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden details on the building and the extended beams of light coming from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a massive angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Melody

Matching the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished recollections I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spouting water, and listening to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Lullaby melody that sticks in your mind
• Central courtyard with fountain features
• Sentimental feelings for countless players

The Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location and also an organization. For starters, it accepts kids from five to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a giant church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Contradictory Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the facility, where students find real monsters they can battle, is the only place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is awful, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the staff have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Rules

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a combat school, but on the other seems oddly funny. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Just Good Looks

Starting with the delicate futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable actions of the school, there are many features of Balamb Garden to celebrate. We all like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than simply surface appeal.