That FF8 Landmark Merits Greater Adoration

This FF series features countless iconic places. 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 earned a cherished place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these areas so remarkable. However, when it comes to one place that deserves greater attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but also for being a truly weird school.

An Pure Movie Reveal

Before, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This place was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to develop new tactics and relocate, based on the needs of those in charge. I readily view it as one of the coolest airship creations 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 most iconic moments in video game history.

The First Look of a Gloomy Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first view of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to focus on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the golden details on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was designed to be a serene place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Theme Song

Matching the calmness that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to end playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Gentle tune that sticks in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

A Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location and also an establishment. First, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the motto of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training center, where students encounter real monsters they can battle, is the only place in the whole school available at all hours 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 nutrition is awful, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Policies

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a combat school, but conversely seems oddly amusing. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true threat of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Just Aesthetics

Starting with the elegant advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable practices of the school, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just surface appeal.