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This Final Fantasy series features numerous unforgettable places. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has found a special place in fans' hearts, who love the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these areas so special. But, if one setting that merits more recognition than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but also for being a absolutely weird school.

An Absolute Movie Moment

First, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This location was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to create new strategies and reposition, depending on the demands of those in command. Many readily view it as one of the best airship creations in the franchise, together 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 more memorable moments in gaming history.

The Initial View of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial glimpse of the place this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping 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 feels advanced, but also somehow heavenly. The rounded structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden accents on the building and the long beams of light coming from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Theme Song

Complementing the serenity that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s theme song. One of the fondest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spurting water, and hearing to the soothing 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 extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby tune that remains in your mind
• Main area with fountain features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a setting and also an organization. First, it enrolls kids from five to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Motto

When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the academy 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. But, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, maybe 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 frankfurters that the personnel have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Regulations

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 amusing. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem 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 true threat of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not fighting with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Good Looks

From the refined futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and dubious actions of the institution, there are numerous elements of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.