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This FF series features numerous iconic settings. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has secured a cherished place in players' hearts, who love the unique quirks that make these locales so remarkable. However, if one setting that warrants more recognition than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a absolutely weird school.

The Pure Cinematic Reveal

Before, we must mention the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to develop new tactics and relocate, depending on the demands of those in control. I readily consider it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the franchise, together with 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 more unforgettable moments in gaming history.

The First Look of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial look of the place this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the ground of the school and ascends to focus on the awe-inspiring size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also heavenly. The rounded structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden features on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was built to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an institution that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Melody

Complementing the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest memories I have from childhood is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spraying water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head forever. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Soothing melody that remains in your mind
• Central courtyard with water features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

A Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an organization. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to turn 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 none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Paradoxical Philosophy

If you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you discover that the motto of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, given that the training area, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the sole place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is terrible, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the staff have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Regulations

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we would anticipate from a military school, but conversely seems oddly funny. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, except it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they lag in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely worried 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 danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not fighting with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

Starting with the delicate futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and dubious decisions of the academy, there are many aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than simply surface appeal.