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This FF franchise includes countless memorable 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 earned a cherished place in players' hearts, and they admire the distinctive quirks that make these areas so special. But, if one place that deserves greater attention 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 bizarre school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Scene

First, let's mention the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that enables them to create new plans and move, depending on the requirements of those in control. I easily consider it as one of the best airship designs in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The Initial Glimpse of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial look of the place this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to focus on the awe-inspiring size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also angelic. The curvy structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the gilded details on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the immense 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 academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Theme Song

Complementing the calmness that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished recollections I have from being a kid is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spurting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. Once 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 make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Gentle tune that lingers in your mind
• Central hub with water features
• Sentimental associations for many players

A Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a setting and also an institution. For starters, it enrolls kids from five to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it looks like a massive church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you discover 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 preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can battle, is the only place in the whole school available 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 awful, since students are devouring so many hot dogs that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we should anticipate from a combat school, but conversely seems oddly humorous. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally advises 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 battling with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Just Aesthetics

Starting with the elegant futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and debatable decisions of the institution, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to celebrate. 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 simply surface appeal.