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This FF series includes many iconic places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has found a cherished place in fans' hearts, who love the unique details that make these locales so unique. However, when it comes to one setting that merits more 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 mention the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This location was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to develop new tactics and relocate, based on the requirements of those in control. I readily consider it as one of the best airship concepts in the franchise, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A Initial Glimpse of a Gloomy Home

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first view of the environment 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 size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears futuristic, but also angelic. The curvy structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded details on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was designed to be a serene place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Unforgettable Theme Song

Complementing the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head forever. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to get it out of playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby melody that sticks in your mind
• Main hub with water features
• Nostalgic memories for many players

A Compelling Academy

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

The Ironic Philosophy

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the training area, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is awful, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are controlled by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems strangely humorous. First, 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 may be dismissed if they lag in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ sex life. The school formally recommends 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Aesthetics

Starting with the refined futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable decisions of the school, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just surface appeal.