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The FF series includes many iconic places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has found a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive details that make these areas so special. However, when it comes to one place that warrants more attention than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its elegant design, but also for being a absolutely bizarre school.

An Pure Blockbuster Scene

Before, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to create new tactics and move, depending on the demands of those in command. Many readily view it as one of the coolest airship creations in the franchise, 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 more memorable moments in video game history.

The Initial Glimpse of a Gloomy Home

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial glimpse of the place this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the impressive size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also somehow divine. The curvy structures recall a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the gilded features on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was built to be a serene place — excessively peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Unforgettable Soundtrack

Matching the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest memories I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing music that lingers in your mind
• Central courtyard with water features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

The Compelling School

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an organization. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks like a massive church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the feeling that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, considering that the facility, where students find living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the personnel have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Regulations

Students are controlled by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we should anticipate from a combat school, but conversely seems oddly humorous. For example, there’s not a 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 fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ relationships. The school officially advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Aesthetics

From the refined futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and debatable decisions of the academy, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.