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The Final Fantasy 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 players' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so remarkable. But, when it comes to one setting that warrants more attention than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but also for being a truly bizarre school.

The Pure Blockbuster Moment

Before, we must mention the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to develop new plans and move, depending on the requirements of those in control. I readily view it as one of the coolest airship designs in the franchise, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The First Look of a Gloomy Home

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial look of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to focus on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also divine. The rounded structures recall a specifically late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden accents on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a massive angel. It was created to be a serene place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Theme Song

Matching the serenity that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest memories I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby tune that remains in your mind
• Main courtyard with water features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

The Intriguing Institution

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an establishment. 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 none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Slogan

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the feeling that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the facility, where students find real monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the whole school accessible at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Policies

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we should anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems weirdly humorous. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally advises 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 battling with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Aesthetics

From the elegant futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable practices of the school, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just surface appeal.