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The Final Fantasy franchise includes many unforgettable settings. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a special place in players' hearts, who love the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so remarkable. But, if one location that warrants more recognition than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly bizarre school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Scene

First, let's address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to create new plans and reposition, based on the needs of those in control. I easily consider it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the series, 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 unforgettable moments in video game history.

The First Glimpse of a Gloomy Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to focus on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also divine. The rounded structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the gilded accents on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Melody

Matching the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest memories I have from my youth is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Lullaby music that sticks in your mind
• Central courtyard with fountain features
• Sentimental associations for countless players

The Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an establishment. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks like a massive 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 using 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 feeling that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, given that the training area, where students encounter real monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the personnel have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Regulations

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we would anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems oddly humorous. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ relationships. The school officially recommends 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 love affairs, not fighting with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Appearance

Starting with the refined futuristic design of the building to the ironies and debatable actions of the institution, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than only surface appeal.