That FF8 Symbol Warrants More Adoration

This FF series includes numerous unforgettable locations. From 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 special place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so special. However, when it comes to one place that deserves greater praise than the others, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a incredibly bizarre school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Scene

First, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This location was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to create new tactics and relocate, based on the demands 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 more memorable moments in gaming history.

The Initial View of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial look of the place this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the impressive magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also angelic. The curvy structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded details on the building and the extended beams of light coming from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Theme Song

Matching the serenity that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Once it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Lullaby tune that sticks in your mind
• Main area with fountain features
• Sentimental associations for countless players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an establishment. First, it enrolls kids from five to 15 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 militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Slogan

If you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you find out that the motto of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, considering that the facility, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is awful, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the personnel have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Regulations

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we should expect from a military school, but on the other seems strangely amusing. First, 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 can be dismissed 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 worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school officially 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 cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Just Good Looks

From the elegant futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and dubious decisions of the school, there are numerous elements 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 only aesthetics.