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The Final Fantasy franchise boasts countless memorable places. 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 love the distinctive details that make these worlds so unique. However, if one setting that warrants greater attention than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but also for being a incredibly weird school.

The Absolute Movie Reveal

Before, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This location was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to develop new tactics and reposition, depending on the needs of those in charge. I easily regard it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The First Glimpse of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial glimpse of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the ground of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears futuristic, but also heavenly. The flowing structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden 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 massive angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Melody

Complementing the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the fondest recollections I have from childhood is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. 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 make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

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

The Compelling Institution

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

A Paradoxical Slogan

If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you find out that the credo of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, considering that the training center, where students find living monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is terrible, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the personnel have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Regulations

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly amusing. First, 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 fall behind in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally advises 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 gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Good Looks

From the refined advanced design of the building to the ironies and dubious decisions of the academy, there are numerous features of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.