That FF8 Landmark Warrants Greater Appreciation
This FF series includes countless iconic places. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has earned a cherished place in fans' hearts, who admire the unique quirks that make these worlds so unique. However, when it comes to one location that merits more praise than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but also for being a truly strange school.
An Absolute Blockbuster Scene
First, let's mention the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to develop new plans and move, depending on the needs of those in charge. Many easily regard it as one of the coolest airship creations in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.
This conversion of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more memorable moments in video game history.
A First Glimpse of a Gloomy Sanctuary
As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first glimpse of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also angelic. The curvy structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. On the other hand, because of the golden accents on the building and the long beams of light coming from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was created to be a serene place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.
An Catchy Melody
Matching the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the fondest recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. 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 listen to it repeatedly of it.
- Gentle melody that remains in your mind
- Central courtyard with water features
- Nostalgic associations for countless players
The Fascinating Institution
Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an institution. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 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 not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.
The Paradoxical Philosophy
If you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you find out that the credo of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is awful, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”
Strict Rules
Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a combat school, but on the other seems strangely amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not fighting with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)
More Than Only Aesthetics
Starting with the elegant futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable decisions of the academy, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.
