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This FF series includes many memorable places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a cherished place in players' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these areas so remarkable. But, when it comes to one location that merits more recognition than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but also for being a absolutely bizarre school.

The Pure Movie Moment

Before, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that allows them to establish new tactics and relocate, based on the needs of those in charge. Many easily regard it as one of the best airship concepts in the franchise, along with 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.

A Initial Look of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial glimpse of the place this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and rises to focus on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow divine. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the gilded accents on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was built to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Theme Song

Complementing the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the dearest memories I have from my youth is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the lullaby-ish theme song. The issue is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to get it out of playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

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

A Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting as well as an establishment. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a massive church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Motto

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you discover that the credo of the institution 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. But, considering that the facility, where students find living monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the whole school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is awful, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the faculty have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Regulations

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we should anticipate from a military school, but on the other seems oddly amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly worried about its students’ sex life. The school officially suggests 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 opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

From the delicate futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and dubious actions of the academy, there are countless features of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just surface appeal.