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The FF franchise boasts countless iconic locations. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in players' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive quirks that make these areas so unique. But, if one location that warrants more attention than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but also for being a truly weird school.

An Pure Cinematic Reveal

First, let's address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to create new strategies and reposition, depending on the demands of those in charge. I readily view it as one of the coolest airship designs in the franchise, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The Initial View of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial glimpse of the environment this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also somehow heavenly. The flowing structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded accents on the building and the long beams of light coming from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was created to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Soundtrack

Matching the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the fondest memories I have from childhood is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up 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
• Main area with water features
• Nostalgic memories for countless players

A Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a setting as well as an establishment. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant 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

When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you find out that the credo of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, considering that the training center, where students encounter real monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the entire school available at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is awful, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a combat school, but on the other seems weirdly amusing. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is really worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally advises 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Good Looks

From the elegant futuristic design of the building to the ironies and questionable decisions of the school, there are many aspects of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than simply aesthetics.