This Final Fantasy 8 Landmark Deserves More Adoration

This Final Fantasy franchise features many iconic settings. 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 found a cherished place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive details that make these areas so remarkable. However, if one setting that deserves greater praise than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its beautiful design, but also for being a truly bizarre school.

The Pure Movie Scene

First, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This location was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to establish new plans and move, based on the requirements of those in command. Many easily consider it as one of the coolest airship designs 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 gaming history.

The Initial View of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to focus on the awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also divine. The rounded structures recall a specifically late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden features on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was built to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Theme Song

Matching the tranquility that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished memories I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and listening to the gentle theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

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

The Compelling School

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location and also an establishment. First, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you learn that the motto of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, considering that the training area, where students encounter real monsters they can battle, is the sole 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 primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the staff have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Regulations

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a combat school, but on the other seems strangely funny. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally recommends that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not battling with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Good Looks

Starting with the elegant futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and dubious decisions of the institution, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only surface appeal.