That Final Fantasy 8 Landmark Merits Greater Adoration
This FF series includes numerous unforgettable places. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a cherished place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so special. But, if one location that merits more attention than the others, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a incredibly bizarre school.
An Absolute Movie Moment
Before, we must highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to establish new plans and relocate, based on the demands of those in charge. I readily 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.
The conversion of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more unforgettable moments in video game history.
The Initial Look of a Brooding Home
When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial look of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also divine. The flowing structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden features on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was built to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.
The Catchy Theme Song
Complementing the serenity that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the fondest memories I have from childhood is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to have enough of it.
- Lullaby tune that remains in your mind
- Main hub with fountain features
- Nostalgic memories for many players
The Intriguing School
Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous 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.
A Contradictory Motto
When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you discover that the motto of the school 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. But, given that the facility, where students encounter real monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the entire school available at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is poor, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the personnel have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”
Strict Rules
Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems oddly humorous. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the evenings, except it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really 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 fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)
More Than Only Appearance
From the refined futuristic design of the building to the ironies and dubious actions of the academy, there are many features of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only good looks.
