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This FF series boasts numerous iconic places. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a special place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these areas so special. However, if one setting that deserves greater recognition 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 strange school.

An Pure Movie Scene

Before, we must address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was pure cinema. This location was not only intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to establish new strategies and move, depending on the requirements of those in charge. Many readily regard it as one of the best airship designs in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

The First Glimpse of a Gloomy Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the staggering size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow divine. The curvy structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the gilded features on the building and the long beams of light coming from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was designed to be a serene place — too peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Melody

Matching the serenity that the design of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the fondest recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Once it returns to my mind, I’m forced to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Gentle tune that sticks in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Nostalgic feelings for countless players

A Fascinating School

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location as well as an establishment. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it appears like a giant church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Slogan

If you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you find out that the motto of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I never 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 defeat, is the sole place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is awful, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the staff have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are controlled by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we would anticipate from a military school, but conversely seems oddly funny. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student may be expelled if they lag in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ relationships. The school formally suggests 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Appearance

From the refined advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and questionable practices of the school, there are countless features of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than simply aesthetics.