That Final Fantasy 8 Landmark Deserves More Appreciation

This Final Fantasy series features numerous iconic locations. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a cherished place in fans' hearts, who love the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so remarkable. But, when it comes to one location that merits more praise than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a absolutely bizarre school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Reveal

Before, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to establish new plans and relocate, depending on the needs of those in charge. I easily view it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most memorable moments in video game history.

A Initial View of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first view of the environment this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow heavenly. The flowing structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded accents on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Melody

Matching the calmness that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest memories I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing tune that sticks in your mind
• Central area with fountain features
• Nostalgic associations for countless players

A Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a setting and also an organization. For starters, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you learn that the credo of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the training center, where students encounter real monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the staff have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Rules

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we should expect from a military school, but conversely seems oddly amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Appearance

Starting with the delicate futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable actions of the academy, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only surface appeal.