🔗 Share this article

The Final Fantasy franchise features many 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 cherished place in players' hearts, who love the distinctive details that make these locales so unique. But, if one location that warrants more attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a truly weird school.

The Absolute Movie Moment

First, we must mention the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to create new plans and reposition, based on the demands of those in control. I readily consider it as one of the coolest airship designs in the series, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A First Glimpse of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the location this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden features on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was created to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Melody

Matching the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the fondest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Soothing music that remains in your mind
• Main hub with water features
• Nostalgic feelings for countless players

The Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an establishment. First, it enrolls kids from five to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Slogan

If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-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 sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, considering that the training center, where students encounter real monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is poor, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the personnel have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we should anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems weirdly humorous. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they lag 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 advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

From the delicate advanced design of the building to the ironies and questionable decisions of the school, there are numerous features of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.