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The FF series boasts countless memorable settings. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a special place in fans' hearts, who admire the distinctive details that make these areas so special. However, if one place that deserves greater recognition than the others, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a absolutely weird school.

An Absolute Cinematic Scene

First, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that permits them to develop new plans and move, based on the needs of those in control. Many readily consider it as one of the most impressive airship creations in the franchise, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This change of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most iconic moments in video game history.

A First View of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the place this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also divine. The rounded structures recall a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the gilded details on the building and the extended trails of light emanating from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Melody

Complementing the serenity that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the fondest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head forever. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Lullaby music that remains in your mind
• Central courtyard with water features
• Nostalgic associations for countless players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location as well as an institution. For starters, it enrolls kids from five to fifteen years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Slogan

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you find out that the credo of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, considering that the training area, where students encounter real monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the staff have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Rules

Students are controlled by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems oddly amusing. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ sex life. The school officially suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true danger 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.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

From the elegant advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable actions of the academy, there are countless aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.