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This Final Fantasy franchise features numerous iconic places. Starting with Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a special place in fans' hearts, who admire the distinctive quirks that make these worlds so unique. But, if one location that warrants greater recognition than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a truly weird school.

The Pure Blockbuster Moment

First, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and escaping from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that enables them to establish new strategies and move, depending on the needs of those in control. Many easily consider it as one of the best airship concepts in the franchise, 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 more unforgettable moments in video game history.

The Initial Glimpse of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first look of the environment this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to zoom in on the awe-inspiring scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded details on the building and the extended trails of light emanating from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a massive angel. It was created to be a serene place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Melody

Matching the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished memories I have from my youth is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spraying water, and listening 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 look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Gentle music that remains in your mind
• Main area with fountain features
• Nostalgic memories for countless players

The Fascinating Institution

Balamb Garden is compelling 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 numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Contradictory Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, considering that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the primary part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is terrible, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the personnel 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 expect from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly humorous. First, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they lag in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ sex life. 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 love affairs, not fighting with weapons and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Appearance

Starting with the refined futuristic design of the building to the ironies and dubious actions of the academy, there are countless elements 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 only good looks.