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This Final Fantasy franchise boasts countless unforgettable settings. 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 found a cherished place in players' hearts, and they celebrate the distinctive details that make these worlds so remarkable. But, if one location that deserves greater attention than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a truly weird school.

An Absolute Blockbuster Moment

First, let's mention the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to create new strategies and reposition, depending on the demands of those in charge. Many easily view it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the series, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A First Look of a Brooding Home

When we begin 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 floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow heavenly. The flowing structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden details on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Soundtrack

Matching the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spraying water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head forever. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Lullaby melody that remains in your mind
• Central area with water features
• Sentimental associations for many players

The Intriguing Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a setting as well as an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a giant church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Slogan

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the motto of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the training area, where students find living monsters they can battle, is the only place in the whole school available at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the personnel have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Policies

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a combat school, but conversely seems weirdly funny. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they lag in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ sex life. The school officially advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real threat of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not battling with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Aesthetics

From the elegant advanced design of the building to the ironies and questionable actions of the institution, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.