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The FF franchise boasts countless iconic locations. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has earned a cherished place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these areas so remarkable. However, when it comes to one setting that warrants greater recognition than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a absolutely bizarre school.

The Absolute Movie Moment

First, let's mention the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that enables them to establish new strategies and move, based on the demands of those in control. I easily regard it as one of the coolest airship designs in the franchise, along 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 iconic moments in video game history.

A First View of a Gloomy Home

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial view of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also angelic. The flowing structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the golden accents on the building and the extended beams of light coming from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a massive angel. It was created to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an institution that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Unforgettable Soundtrack

Matching the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest memories I have from my youth is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spurting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

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

A Fascinating Institution

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting and also an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to transform 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 not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Paradoxical Philosophy

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training area, where students find living monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the entire school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is poor, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we should anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems strangely amusing. For example, 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 can be dismissed if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school officially 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

From the refined advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable practices of the academy, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to admire. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.