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The FF series boasts countless memorable places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has found a cherished place in players' hearts, and they celebrate the distinctive quirks that make these areas so special. But, when it comes to one place that deserves greater praise than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its beautiful design, but also for being a absolutely strange school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Scene

Before, we must mention the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This place was not just intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to establish new plans and reposition, depending on the demands of those in command. I readily view it as one of the most impressive airship creations in the franchise, alongside 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 most iconic moments in video game history.

A Initial Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary

When 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 gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to focus on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow divine. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden features on the building and the long beams of light coming from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was built to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Theme Song

Matching the serenity that the appearance of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished memories I have from childhood is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to end playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Lullaby music that remains in your mind
• Main area with fountain features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting and also an institution. First, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to mold 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 not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Philosophy

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you discover that the credo of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the feeling that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, considering that the training center, where students encounter real monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is awful, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we would anticipate from a combat school, but on the other seems weirdly amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they lag in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Appearance

Starting with the elegant advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable decisions of the institution, there are countless features of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.