🔗 Share this article That FF8 Landmark Warrants Greater Love The FF franchise includes many iconic settings. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive details that make these locales so unique. However, when it comes to one place that warrants greater praise than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly weird school. The Pure Blockbuster Scene Before, let's mention the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This location was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to establish new strategies and move, depending on the needs of those in control. I easily regard it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the franchise, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships. This change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most unforgettable moments in gaming history. A First Glimpse of a Gloomy Sanctuary When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the environment this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to focus on the staggering magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden accents on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was created to be a serene place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries. An Catchy Soundtrack Matching the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spouting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced 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. Lullaby melody that remains in your mind Main area with fountain features Nostalgic memories for many players The Intriguing School Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from five to fifteen years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden. A Paradoxical Slogan When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the motto 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. However, given that the training center, where students find real monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the entire school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.” Strict Regulations Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly funny. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally suggests 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 love affairs, not battling with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.) Greater Than Only Appearance From the elegant futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable practices of the school, there are numerous elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.