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The Final Fantasy franchise boasts countless unforgettable 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 cherished place in players' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these areas so unique. But, when it comes to one location that merits greater recognition than the rest, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a absolutely bizarre school.

The Pure Blockbuster Reveal

Before, we must mention the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This place was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that permits them to develop new plans and reposition, based on the demands of those in control. I easily view it as one of the coolest airship creations in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A First Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first view of the environment this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also somehow heavenly. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded features on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was created to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Theme Song

Complementing the tranquility that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the most cherished recollections I have from childhood is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to end playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Gentle tune that sticks in your mind
• Main hub with water features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location as well as an institution. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, considering that the training center, where students find real monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the whole school available at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is awful, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Policies

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a military school, but conversely seems strangely humorous. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can 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’ relationships. The school officially 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 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 decisions of the academy, there are numerous features 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 only good looks.