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This FF series includes numerous unforgettable places. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in fans' hearts, and they celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these areas so remarkable. However, if one setting that warrants greater praise than the others, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its stunning design, but additionally for being a incredibly bizarre school.

An Pure Movie Scene

First, let's highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that permits them to develop new strategies and move, depending on the needs of those in command. Many easily regard it as one of the most impressive airship creations in the franchise, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most iconic moments in gaming history.

The Initial Look of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the impressive scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also angelic. The rounded structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the gilded features on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the massive glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a massive angel. It was designed to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an institution that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Soundtrack

Complementing the serenity that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished recollections I have from my youth is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those fish statues spouting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Once it returns 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 have enough of it.

• Lullaby melody that sticks in your mind
• Central courtyard with water features
• Sentimental feelings for many players

A Intriguing School

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an organization. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a enormous church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the feeling that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training center, where students find real monsters they can kill, is the only place in the whole school accessible 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 eating so many hot dogs that the personnel have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Rules

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a combat school, but on the other seems oddly amusing. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ romantic activities. The school officially recommends that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is romantic relationships, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Appearance

From the delicate futuristic design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable decisions of the academy, there are countless aspects of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.