🔗 Share this article

The FF series features countless iconic places. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in players' hearts, and they celebrate the unique details that make these areas so unique. However, when it comes to one place that deserves greater praise than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a incredibly bizarre school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Scene

First, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to create new strategies and relocate, depending on the demands of those in command. Many easily regard it as one of the coolest airship creations in the series, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more unforgettable moments in gaming history.

The First View of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also heavenly. The rounded structures recall a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the golden accents on the building and the long beams of light coming from the immense glowing halo 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 transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Soundtrack

Matching the serenity that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the most cherished memories I have from my youth is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spurting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head forever. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Soothing tune that remains in your mind
• Central area with water features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

A Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting as well as an establishment. First, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Paradoxical Philosophy

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training area, where students encounter real monsters they can kill, is the sole place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is awful, since students are devouring so many hot dogs that the staff have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Rules

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a combat school, but on the other seems oddly humorous. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, except it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ sex life. The school formally 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 weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Aesthetics

Starting with the refined futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable practices of the institution, there are many aspects of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than simply surface appeal.