That Final Fantasy 8 Icon Warrants Greater Adoration

This Final Fantasy franchise boasts numerous iconic locations. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so unique. However, if one place that warrants more attention than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly bizarre school.

The Pure Cinematic Reveal

First, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This place was not just intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to develop new plans and relocate, depending on the needs of those in control. Many readily consider it as one of the best airship designs in the series, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The First View of a Gloomy Home

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the environment this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to focus on the awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow heavenly. The curvy structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden accents on the building and the extended trails of light emanating from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a massive angel. It was built to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Theme Song

Matching the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished memories I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and listening to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to get it out of playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby music that remains in your mind
• Main courtyard with fountain features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

The Intriguing Institution

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an establishment. First, it enrolls kids from 5 to fifteen years old to turn 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.

The Ironic Motto

If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, considering that the facility, where students encounter real monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school available at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is awful, since students are devouring so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Rules

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a combat school, but conversely seems oddly humorous. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they lag in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ romantic activities. The school officially suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real danger 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 Only Aesthetics

From the elegant futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and debatable actions of the school, there are numerous features of Balamb Garden to celebrate. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.