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The Final Fantasy series boasts countless unforgettable locations. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a special place in players' hearts, and they admire the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so remarkable. However, when it comes to one setting that warrants more recognition than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a incredibly strange school.

The Absolute Cinematic Moment

First, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This location was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to develop new strategies and move, depending on the requirements of those in control. Many easily view it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the franchise, along 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 most unforgettable moments in gaming history.

A First Glimpse of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first look of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears futuristic, but also angelic. The flowing structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded features on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Melody

Matching the tranquility that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest recollections I have from my youth is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head forever. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Lullaby tune that remains in your mind
• Central courtyard with fountain features
• Sentimental feelings for countless players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks 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 Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you learn 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, considering that the facility, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is poor, since students are devouring so many hot dogs that the faculty have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Rules

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we should anticipate from a combat school, but on the other seems weirdly humorous. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ relationships. The school officially advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Appearance

Starting with the delicate advanced design of the building to the contradictions and questionable practices of the school, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only surface appeal.