This FF8 Symbol Warrants More Appreciation

The Final Fantasy series boasts many iconic locations. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in players' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so remarkable. However, if one setting that warrants more praise than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a absolutely strange school.

The Pure Blockbuster Reveal

First, we must mention the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This place was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to establish new plans and relocate, depending on the needs of those in control. I easily regard it as one of the best airship concepts 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 more unforgettable moments in video game history.

The Initial Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial view of the place this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also divine. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the gilded features on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was created to be a serene place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Melody

Complementing the serenity that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing tune that remains in your mind
• Central area with fountain features
• Nostalgic associations for many players

The Fascinating School

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location and also an institution. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to fifteen years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Slogan

If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training center, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the sole place in the entire school available at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is awful, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the staff have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Rules

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we should expect from a military school, but conversely seems strangely humorous. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ sex life. The school formally recommends 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 romantic relationships, not battling with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Appearance

From the elegant advanced design of the building to the ironies and debatable decisions of the academy, there are many features of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just surface appeal.