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The Final Fantasy series includes numerous unforgettable settings. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has secured a cherished place in players' hearts, and they love the distinctive details that make these locales so unique. But, when it comes to one place that warrants greater attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but also for being a absolutely weird school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Moment

Before, we must highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to develop new strategies and relocate, based on the requirements of those in control. Many readily regard 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.

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

The Initial Glimpse of a Gloomy Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial view of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also heavenly. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded accents on the building and the extended beams of light coming from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was created to be a serene place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Unforgettable Theme Song

Complementing the serenity that the design of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The issue is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m forced 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.

• Soothing music that remains in your mind
• Main hub with water features
• Sentimental feelings for many players

A Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a setting as well as an organization. First, it enrolls kids from five to 15 years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Paradoxical Philosophy

If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you learn that the motto of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the feeling that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, given that the facility, where students encounter real monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the most important aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is poor, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Rules

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we would anticipate from a combat school, but conversely seems weirdly funny. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms 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 genuinely concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally recommends that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real risk 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

Starting with the refined advanced design of the building to the contradictions and questionable practices of the academy, there are numerous 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 just aesthetics.