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This Final Fantasy series features 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, each has earned a special place in players' hearts, who love the distinctive details that make these areas so unique. But, if one location that merits more attention than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a truly strange school.

An Absolute Movie Reveal

First, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This place was not only intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to create new plans and relocate, depending on the requirements of those in command. Many easily view it as one of the coolest airship creations in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most unforgettable moments in video game history.

A Initial Glimpse of a Brooding Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also heavenly. The rounded structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden details on the building and the extended trails of light coming from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was created to be a serene place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Soundtrack

Matching the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the fondest recollections I have from my youth is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spurting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The problem is that it continues 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 overdose of it.

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

A Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an establishment. For starters, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Contradictory Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the credo of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the facility, where students find real monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Policies

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a combat school, but conversely seems strangely amusing. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student may 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 truly worried about its students’ relationships. The school officially recommends 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 weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Just Aesthetics

From the delicate advanced design of the building to the ironies and debatable decisions of the school, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to admire. 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 aesthetics.