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The Final Fantasy series features numerous memorable settings. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a cherished place in fans' hearts, who admire the unique details that make these worlds so remarkable. But, when it comes to one location that deserves greater 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 truly bizarre school.

An Absolute Blockbuster Scene

First, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to create new tactics and reposition, depending on the demands of those in control. I readily consider it as one of the best airship designs in the series, along with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A First View of a Gloomy Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, 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 ascends to focus on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also angelic. The rounded structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded details on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Soundtrack

Complementing the serenity that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest memories I have from childhood is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spouting water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head forever. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

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

A Fascinating School

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an institution. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Paradoxical Slogan

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you find out that the credo of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, given that the training center, where students find real monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the whole school available at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Policies

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a military school, but conversely seems strangely funny. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to 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 genuinely concerned about its students’ sex life. 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Appearance

Starting with the elegant futuristic design of the building to the ironies and debatable decisions of the school, there are countless aspects of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only good looks.