🔗 Share this article

This FF series boasts countless memorable places. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a cherished place in players' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so special. However, when it comes to one setting that merits more recognition than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a truly strange school.

The Absolute Movie Moment

First, we must address the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and escaping from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that enables them to develop new plans and reposition, depending on the demands of those in charge. Many readily view it as one of the most impressive airship creations in the franchise, together 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 unforgettable moments in video game history.

The First Glimpse of a Gloomy Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial look of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to focus on the staggering size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also angelic. The curvy structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the golden features on the building and the long trails of light coming from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was designed to be a serene place — too peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Soundtrack

Complementing the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the most cherished memories I have from being a kid is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the lullaby-ish theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Gentle melody that lingers in your mind
• Central area with water features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

The Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location as well as an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from five to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Motto

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training center, where students find real monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the whole school available at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but on the other seems oddly humorous. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to 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 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 romantic relationships, not battling with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

Starting with the delicate futuristic design of the building to the ironies and questionable decisions of the school, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.