🔗 Share this article

This FF series boasts countless memorable settings. Starting with 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 secured a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these locales so special. But, if one setting that merits greater praise than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly bizarre school.

The Pure Cinematic Reveal

Before, let's highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and fleeing from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This place was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that enables them to create new strategies and reposition, depending on the demands of those in charge. Many readily consider it as one of the best airship concepts in the series, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most iconic moments in gaming history.

The First View of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first glimpse of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to focus on the staggering size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also divine. The curvy structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden details on the building and the long beams of light coming from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Melody

Matching the calmness that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the fondest recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing tune that lingers in your mind
• Central area with water features
• Sentimental feelings for countless players

The Fascinating Institution

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an establishment. First, it enrolls kids from five to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears 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.

The Ironic Motto

If you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, given that the training center, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the whole school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are devouring so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we should anticipate from a combat school, but on the other seems weirdly amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is really 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 battling with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Good Looks

Starting with the refined advanced design of the building to the contradictions and questionable practices of the institution, there are numerous elements of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.