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The FF franchise features many memorable locations. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has earned a special place in fans' hearts, and they celebrate the distinctive details that make these worlds so remarkable. But, if one location that merits more recognition than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a incredibly weird school.

An Pure Movie Moment

Before, we must address the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to develop new tactics and reposition, based on the needs of those in command. I readily consider it as one of the coolest airship designs in the franchise, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The First Look of a Gloomy Home

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first view of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to focus on the awe-inspiring size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears futuristic, but also angelic. The flowing structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. Conversely, because of the gilded accents on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was built to be a serene place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Theme Song

Matching the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spraying water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head constantly. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing tune that sticks in your mind
• Central courtyard with fountain features
• Nostalgic memories for many players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting as well as an establishment. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive 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 Paradoxical Motto

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training area, where students encounter real monsters they can kill, is the sole place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the personnel have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Policies

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a combat school, but on the other seems strangely humorous. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they fall behind in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ sex life. 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 opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Aesthetics

From the delicate advanced design of the building to the ironies and dubious decisions of the school, there are numerous 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 aesthetics.