🔗 Share this article

This FF franchise features countless iconic settings. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has earned a special place in fans' hearts, who love the unique quirks that make these locales so remarkable. But, if one place that deserves more recognition than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but also for being a absolutely strange school.

The Absolute Movie Scene

First, we must address the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to create new tactics and move, based on the requirements of those in command. I easily consider it as one of the most impressive airship concepts in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most unforgettable moments in video game history.

The First Look of a Brooding Home

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the place this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears futuristic, but also divine. The flowing structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the gilded details on the building and the long beams of light coming from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was designed to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Soundtrack

Complementing the tranquility that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the most cherished memories I have from childhood is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and hearing to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Soothing music that sticks in your mind
• Main area with water features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

A Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location and also an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to mold 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 militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-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 training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the training center, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is awful, since students are devouring so many hot dogs that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Rules

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a combat school, but on the other seems strangely humorous. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they fall behind in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may 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 true risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not fighting with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Good Looks

Starting with the elegant futuristic design of the building to the ironies and debatable practices of the academy, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.