That FF8 Symbol Warrants More Love
The Final Fantasy franchise includes many unforgettable settings. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in fans' hearts, who love the distinctive quirks that make these areas so remarkable. However, if one setting that deserves greater recognition than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but also for being a incredibly bizarre school.
The Pure Movie Moment
Before, let's highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to develop new plans and move, depending on the needs of those in charge. I easily regard it as one of the most impressive airship creations in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.
This transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more unforgettable moments in gaming history.
A Initial Glimpse of a Gloomy Home
When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial view of the location this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also somehow angelic. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Meanwhile, because of the gilded features on the building and the long trails of light coming from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.
An Unforgettable Melody
Complementing the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the fondest recollections I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spurting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to overdose of it.
- Lullaby melody that sticks in your mind
- Central courtyard with water features
- Sentimental feelings for countless players
The Fascinating Academy
Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location and also an organization. For starters, it enrolls kids from five to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.
A Paradoxical Slogan
If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you discover that the motto of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school available at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is poor, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”
Rigid Policies
Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we should expect from a military school, but on the other seems weirdly amusing. For example, 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 expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for violent 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 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 fighting with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)
Greater Than Just Aesthetics
Starting with the delicate advanced design of the building to the ironies and debatable practices of the school, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.
