Garden is a group of elite military academies in Square's computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. There are three Garden schools, including Balamb Garden, Galbadia Garden, and Trabia Garden. Many of the game's leading characters are students (and later mercenaries for hire) of Garden, with the story itself beginning in Balamb Garden. Square Co. ... Computer role-playing games (CRPGs), often shortened to simply (RPGs), are a type of video or computer game that uses traditional gameplay elements found in pen-and-paper role-playing games. ... Final Fantasy VIII (Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVIII Fainaru Fantajī VIII) is a computer role-playing game created by Square Co. ...

Campuses

Balamb Garden

Balamb Garden

The story of Final Fantasy VIII begins in Balamb Garden. As the oldest and second largest of the three, Balamb Garden is situated on the island of Balamb, near the seaside town of the same name. The Garden is under the control of headmaster Cid Kramer, and takes on children between ages five and fifteen to be trained as mercenaries. The teachings of the school include martial arts, swordsmanship, manipulation of magic, and various offensive weaponry skills. It appears that each pupil may choose his or her own way of learning as well as weaponry, as Cid points out to Squall Leonhart there have been very few students to choose to specialize in the gunblade. FF8 - Balamb Garden Facility This work is copyrighted. ... FF8 - Balamb Garden Facility This work is copyrighted. ... Squall Leonhart is the protagonist from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. At 17-years-old, Squall is a student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious military academy for elite mercenaries. ... Squalls Gunblade, Revolver. ...

Balamb Garden is the only Garden to train students as SeeDs. Upon reaching the end of their studies, students may be tested for SeeD level, where, upon passing, they are enlisted as members of SeeD, mercenaries paid by the Garden and highly respected worldwide. It appears to be quite the challenge to achieve SeeD level, one that many fail to achieve. See Training below

Balamb Garden is airborne

At the beginning of the game, Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Seifer Almasy are all students of Balamb Garden training to become SeeDs. Selphie Tilmitt, a student of Trabia Garden, transfers to Balamb for the SeeD exam. Quistis Trepe is also a SeeD and an instructor at the Garden. Like the others, Balamb Garden is a place for students to live as well as learn. Its campus includes dormitories, canteen, library, infirmary, and classrooms, as well as a training ground with wild creatures for more advanced students to improve their skills. Learning is hierarchy based, with older, more skilled students looking after and helping to train their underclassmen. Image File history File links Final Fantasy VIIIs Balamb Garden airbourne File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Final Fantasy VIIIs Balamb Garden airbourne File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Squall Leonhart is the protagonist from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. At 17-years-old, Squall is a student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious military academy for elite mercenaries. ... Zell Dincht is a protagonist character from Squaresofts (now Square Enix) Final Fantasy VIII. Like Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy, Zell is a student at Balamb Garden. ... Seifer Almasy is both a playable character and an antagonist in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. He has short blond hair, blue-green eyes, and a scar across his forehead mirroring Squall Leonharts. ... Selphie Tilmitt is a playable character in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) RPG Final Fantasy VIII. Selphies first appearance in the game comes when she runs into Squall Leonhart while late for her class. ... Quistis Trepe is a main protagonist in Squaresofts (now Square Enix) RPG Final Fantasy VIII. She is an instructor at Balamb Garden, where Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, and Seifer Almasy are students. ...

Later in the game, it is revealed Balamb Garden has a shadow proprietor. Known as NORG, this initially cryptic antagonist is very straightforward and demanding, but claims to have never interfered with how Cid chose to administer the school. When NORG demands control of the Garden, the student body is divided into factions of opposing support, with Squall and his group supporting Cid and attempting to rid the Garden of NORG. When the group finds and defeats NORG, he places himself into a cocoon-like shell, which is a natural stage of the life span of his species – the Shumi. The Shumi are a fictional race of humanoid creatures on the videogame Final Fantasy VIII. Although the game itself offers little background information on this race, they seem simple and artistic in nature, but strangely technologically developed. ...

Inside Balamb Garden

Cid regains control of Balamb Garden and must decide on a way to protect the Garden from impending destruction by missile bombardment from Galbadia, who sees the academy as a threat. Acknowledging the campus was once a Centra shelter, Cid sends Squall deep within the building to unlock the secret of the facility: it has the ability to become airborne. The halo-like structure above the Garden, when activated, transforms the Garden into a mobile fortress that hovers at low altitudes above ground or in water. The halo appears to be some sort of anti-gravity system. Image File history File links Final Fantasy VIII, Balamb Garden File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Final Fantasy VIII, Balamb Garden File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The rest of the game continues with Squall and company's attempts to grasp control of the Garden's mobility (with a near-destruction of Balamb Town) and their adventure after finally doing so. Balamb Garden remains a school and institution continues regardless. As the face off with Galbadia and its new ruler, Sorceress Edea, nears, Cid steps aside and Squall assumes control of Balamb Garden and SeeD.

Trabia Garden

Situated in the northeastern polar region of the eastern continent is Trabia Garden. Selphie originally studied at Trabia Garden before transferring to Balamb Garden to complete her SeeD application. Trabia Garden appears to have more of an amicable relation to Balamb Garden in comparison to the hostile and xenophobic front of Galbadia Garden. It is the smallest of the three Gardens. Xenophobia means fear of strangers or the unknown and comes from the Greek ξενοφοβια, xenophobia, literally meaning fear of the strange. It is often used to describe fear of or dislike of foreigners, but racism in general is sometimes described as a form of xenophobia, as are such prejudices as...

During Galbadia's assault on Balamb Garden and Trabia Garden following the assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea, Trabia Garden is all but destroyed in a missile bombardment. While Balamb Garden is informed of the missile launch and activates its MD system to become airborne and therefore avoid the missiles, Trabia Garden is unaware and is struck. Many students survive, but the school itself certainly does not. Following the attack, Selphie returns with the others to provide relief for the remaining students. Trabia Garden is never seen intact in Final Fantasy VIII, with the party only visiting the Garden after the attack.

Training

Students of Balamb Garden, Trabia Garden, and Galbadia Garden receive their education as cadets until they are approved for graduation. Following graduation, students are then assisted with enlisting in the armies of their choice around the world. At Balamb Garden, students and graduates may enlist in SeeD, Balamb Garden's world-renowned elite mercenary force. The enrollment process consists of a written test and field examination. Garden students are taught extensively to be skilled in fighting with the weapons of their choosing, as well to be proficient in magic and other various aspects that are essential to their success. Image File history File links Final Fantasy VIII, SeeD logo of Balamb Garden File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The SeeD written tests at Balamb Garden are a culmination of what cadets have learned throughout their education and are easily mastered by most. The field exam, on the other hand, is a rigorous trial of the abilities of a cadet. These trials can sometimes be dangerous as they are real situations where the cadet must apply their skills to the given tasks. The cadets are not only judged by their talent in fighting but also by their attitudes, actions, skills, and ability to follow orders. Those who pass are given ranking levels based on their grade during field exam. These rankings dictate the position and salary of a SeeD, and can be raised as the SeeD experiences success in missions or passes additional SeeD tests.

For Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht, Seifer Almasy, Selphie Tilmitt and Nida, their SeeD field exam required them to travel to the city-state nation of Dollet to take part in a live combat situation. Dollet was suffering invasion by the neighboring Republic of Galbadia, its objective to secure an abandoned communications facility on the outskirts of the city. Against orders, Seifer went after the Galbadian soldiers with Zell and Squall reluctantly in tow. When SeeD began to withdraw, Squall, Zell, and Selphie were separated from Seifer, but all managed to escape. Squall, Zell, Nida and Selphie all became SeeDs for their efforts; Seifer, however, did not.

History

Balamb Garden was the first of the three Gardens to be built. Garden and SeeD were founded twelve years prior to the events of the game by Edea and Cid Kramer for the purpose of training elite mercenaries to quell the eventual domination of the sorceress Ultimecia. Before Garden was founded, Cid and Edea were caretakers of a small orphanage in Centra. Most of the first generation SeeDs were drawn from their charges. As time went on, Galbadia and Trabia Gardens were constructed in their respective regions. Over the years, the Gardens began to take on a more involved political role on the world stage. // Square Co. ...

Eventually, Edea fell under the sway of Ultimecia, and seized effective control of the Galbadian government. Galbadia Garden became a tool of Edea as a result. In the ensuing conflict, Trabia Garden was destroyed and Balamb Garden, under the command of neophyte SeeD Squall Leonhart, barely withstood the onslaught of the Galbadian army. Under Squall's command, SeeD manages to free Edea from Ultimecia's control and eventually moves on to vanquish Ultimecia once and for all.

At the end of the game, Squall travels back in time and warns Edea of Ultimecia's intentions. It is because of this that Garden and SeeD are created.