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The Final Fantasy franchise includes many iconic locations. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a special place in players' hearts, who love the unique details that make these locales so special. But, if one place that warrants greater attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a truly bizarre school.

An Absolute Movie Scene

Before, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This place was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to establish new tactics and move, depending on the needs of those in charge. I readily view it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the franchise, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most memorable moments in gaming history.

A Initial Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first glimpse of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also somehow divine. The curvy structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the golden details on the building and the extended trails of light emanating from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was built to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Theme Song

Complementing the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest recollections I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spurting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The problem is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing music that remains in your mind
• Main area with water features
• Nostalgic associations for countless players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an organization. First, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Contradictory Motto

If you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the training center, where students encounter living monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the entire school available at all hours during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems oddly amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ relationships. The school officially 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 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 refined futuristic design of the building to the ironies and dubious practices of the school, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to admire. We all like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.