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The Final Fantasy franchise features numerous unforgettable places. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive quirks that make these locales so special. But, if one place that warrants greater recognition than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly bizarre school.

An Pure Cinematic Scene

First, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an airship and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that allows them to establish new strategies and relocate, depending on the demands of those in command. Many readily regard it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the franchise, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A Initial Look of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first view of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also divine. The flowing structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the gilded accents on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a massive angel. It was designed to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Unforgettable Theme Song

Matching the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling around the main 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. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Gentle melody that sticks in your mind
• Main area with fountain features
• Nostalgic associations for many players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location and also an institution. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to mold 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.

The Ironic Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you learn that the motto of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, considering that the facility, where students find living monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the entire school available at any time during the day, perhaps 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 consuming so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Rules

Students are controlled by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a combat school, but conversely seems strangely amusing. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the evenings, except it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is really worried about its students’ sex life. The school formally suggests 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Good Looks

From the refined advanced design of the building to the ironies and dubious decisions of the school, there are countless features of Balamb Garden to appreciate. We all like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.