That FF8 Icon Deserves More Love

This FF series boasts numerous memorable places. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a special place in players' hearts, and they love the distinctive details that make these locales so unique. However, if one place that merits more attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but also for being a absolutely strange school.

The Absolute Cinematic Scene

First, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that enables them to develop new plans and move, based on the demands of those in command. I easily view it as one of the coolest airship creations in the franchise, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This conversion of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more unforgettable moments in video game history.

The First Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first glimpse of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to focus on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also somehow heavenly. The flowing structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden accents on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was created to be a serene place — too peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Melody

Matching the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest memories I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby melody that remains in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Sentimental associations for many players

A Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an establishment. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to mold 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 like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you learn that the motto of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the feeling that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training center, where students find living monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the personnel have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Policies

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems oddly humorous. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ relationships. The school formally recommends that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real threat of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Appearance

Starting with the refined futuristic design of the building to the ironies and debatable practices of the school, there are countless aspects of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just surface appeal.