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This FF franchise includes countless memorable settings. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so unique. However, when it comes to one location that merits more praise than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a absolutely weird school.

The Pure Cinematic Reveal

Before, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to develop new tactics and relocate, based on the requirements of those in control. I easily regard it as one of the coolest airship designs in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more memorable moments in video game history.

A First View of a Brooding Home

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial glimpse of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also divine. The flowing structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden details on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was created to be a serene place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Soundtrack

Matching the calmness that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished recollections I have from being a kid is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spurting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced 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 melody that sticks in your mind
• Main area with fountain features
• Nostalgic associations for countless players

The Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from five to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it looks like a massive church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Slogan

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the credo of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Rules

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a combat school, but on the other seems oddly funny. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, except it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school officially advises 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 fighting with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Good Looks

From the delicate advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and dubious practices of the school, there are numerous elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.