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The Final Fantasy franchise features numerous memorable places. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has found a cherished place in players' hearts, who admire the unique details that make these areas so remarkable. But, when it comes to one setting that warrants greater recognition than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but also for being a incredibly weird school.

An Absolute Movie Moment

Before, we must highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that permits them to create new strategies and reposition, based on the requirements of those in charge. Many easily regard it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more unforgettable moments in gaming history.

A First Glimpse of a Brooding Home

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the ground of the school and ascends to focus on the impressive size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also somehow divine. The curvy structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded details on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was designed to be a serene place — too peaceful for an institution that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Theme Song

Matching the tranquility that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished recollections I have from my youth is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Gentle melody that lingers in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Nostalgic associations for countless players

The Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an establishment. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Philosophy

If you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the feeling that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the facility, where students find living monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school accessible at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is poor, since students are consuming 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 rigid set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a military school, but on the other seems weirdly funny. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they lag in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ sex life. The school officially suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Appearance

From the elegant futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and debatable practices of the institution, there are countless features of Balamb Garden to celebrate. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.