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This Final Fantasy franchise includes countless iconic locations. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has secured a cherished place in fans' hearts, who celebrate the unique idiosyncrasies that make these locales so unique. But, if one place that merits more praise than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a incredibly strange school.

An Pure Blockbuster Reveal

First, we must address the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This place was not just designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to create new tactics and move, based on the requirements of those in charge. Many easily consider it as one of the most impressive airship concepts in the franchise, together with 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 more memorable moments in gaming history.

A Initial View of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial look of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the ground of the school and rises to zoom in on the impressive magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded features on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was designed to be a serene place — too peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Melody

Complementing the calmness that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the fondest recollections I have from childhood is walking around the central area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby tune that sticks in your mind
• Main area with water features
• Sentimental feelings for many players

A Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an organization. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to turn 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 not one look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Motto

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the impression that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the training area, where students encounter living monsters they can defeat, is the only place in the whole school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the key part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is poor, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a military school, but on the other seems oddly humorous. First, there’s not a 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 dismissed if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely worried about its students’ relationships. The school officially recommends 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 love affairs, not battling with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

More Than Only Good Looks

From the delicate futuristic design of the building to the ironies and questionable practices of the institution, there are many features of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than simply surface appeal.