This FF8 Symbol Merits More Adoration
The FF series features countless iconic places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive details that make these areas so remarkable. However, when it comes to one place that merits greater recognition than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a absolutely weird school.
An Absolute Blockbuster Scene
Before, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This place was not only designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that allows them to establish new plans and reposition, based on the requirements of those in command. Many readily regard it as one of the most impressive airship concepts in the franchise, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.
This change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more memorable moments in gaming history.
The Initial Glimpse of a Gloomy Home
As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial view of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the impressive size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures recall a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded features on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was designed to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.
An Unforgettable Melody
Complementing the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the fondest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced 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 tune that lingers in your mind
- Main courtyard with fountain features
- Nostalgic associations for many players
The Intriguing School
Balamb Garden is compelling as a location as well as an institution. First, it enrolls kids from 5 to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.
The Contradictory Motto
When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the staff have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”
Rigid Policies
Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but on the other seems strangely amusing. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ sex life. The school formally advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true threat 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 opening cutscene.)
More Than Only Good Looks
Starting with the refined advanced design of the building to the contradictions and debatable decisions of the academy, there are many aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than simply surface appeal.
