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This FF series includes countless unforgettable settings. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has earned a cherished place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive details that make these areas so special. But, when it comes to one place that deserves more attention than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but also for being a incredibly weird school.

The Absolute Cinematic Reveal

First, let's mention the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to create new strategies and reposition, based on the requirements of those in control. Many readily consider it as one of the coolest airship creations in the franchise, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most unforgettable moments in gaming history.

The First Glimpse of a Brooding Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first glimpse of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the staggering magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also divine. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. On the other hand, because of the golden features on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was built to be a serene place — too peaceful for an institution that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Theme Song

Matching the serenity that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest recollections I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spurting water, and hearing to the lullaby-ish theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Soothing music that sticks in your mind
• Central courtyard with fountain features
• Sentimental feelings for many players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an organization. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the motto of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, given that the facility, where students encounter real monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the whole school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a combat school, but on the other seems weirdly humorous. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really worried about its students’ relationships. The school formally recommends 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 love affairs, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Just Aesthetics

Starting with the refined advanced design of the building to the ironies and debatable practices of the institution, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.