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The FF series boasts countless memorable locations. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a special place in players' hearts, who celebrate the distinctive quirks that make these locales so remarkable. But, if one setting that warrants more praise than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a incredibly strange school.

The Absolute Movie Moment

First, let's highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This place was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to develop new tactics and move, based on the demands of those in command. I readily regard it as one of the best airship designs in the franchise, along 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 memorable moments in video game history.

The First 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 view of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also angelic. The rounded structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden accents on the building and the extended 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 — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Soundtrack

Complementing the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest memories I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Gentle tune that remains in your mind
• Main courtyard with fountain features
• Sentimental associations for many players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a setting as well as an institution. First, it enrolls kids from five 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 none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Philosophy

If you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the credo of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the feeling that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the training center, where students find living monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the whole school available at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is poor, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the staff have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a combat school, but conversely seems weirdly amusing. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely worried about its students’ relationships. The school officially suggests 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 battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Aesthetics

Starting with the delicate futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable practices of the school, there are many elements 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 only surface appeal.