That FF8 Landmark Merits Greater Appreciation
The FF franchise boasts countless unforgettable locations. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a special place in players' hearts, and they celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so special. However, when it comes to one place that warrants greater attention than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a truly bizarre school.
An Pure Cinematic Scene
Before, we must mention the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This location was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that allows them to develop new plans and relocate, based on the requirements of those in control. Many readily consider 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 most unforgettable moments in video game history.
The Initial Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary
When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial look of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to focus on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also angelic. The rounded structures recall a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded features on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.
An Catchy Soundtrack
Complementing the serenity that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the fondest memories I have from being a kid is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.
- Soothing music that remains in your mind
- Central courtyard with water features
- Nostalgic memories for many players
The Intriguing School
Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an establishment. First, it accepts kids from five to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.
The Paradoxical Motto
When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, given that the training center, where students find living monsters they can battle, is the only place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is terrible, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”
Tight Rules
Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly amusing. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ relationships. The school formally suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real threat of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)
More Than Only Aesthetics
Starting with the delicate advanced design of the building to the contradictions and dubious actions of the school, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only good looks.
