This Final Fantasy 8 Symbol Merits Greater Adoration
The Final Fantasy series features many memorable locations. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has found a special place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the unique quirks that make these locales so remarkable. But, when it comes to one location that merits greater praise than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly weird school.
The Pure Cinematic Reveal
Before, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and escaping from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This location was not only designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that enables them to develop new strategies and reposition, depending on the requirements of those in control. I readily view it as one of the most impressive airship creations in the franchise, together with 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 memorable moments in gaming history.
The Initial View of a Gloomy Sanctuary
When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the impressive magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also divine. The rounded structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden accents on the building and the extended trails of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was designed to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.
An Catchy Theme Song
Complementing the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished memories I have from my youth is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spraying water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to end playing inside my head is to have enough of it.
- Gentle music that remains in your mind
- Main hub with fountain features
- Nostalgic associations for countless players
A Fascinating Institution
Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an establishment. First, it enrolls kids from five to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.
A Paradoxical Motto
If you access the Balamb Garden Network using 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 never have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, considering that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the whole school available at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is awful, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”
Tight Rules
Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but on the other seems strangely amusing. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ sex life. The school formally suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not fighting with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)
Greater Than Only Aesthetics
Starting with the delicate advanced design of the building to the ironies and questionable practices of the school, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to admire. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than simply good looks.
