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This FF franchise features many memorable places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a special place in players' hearts, and they celebrate the unique details that make these locales so unique. But, if one location that deserves greater praise than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a truly bizarre school.

An Absolute Cinematic Scene

Before, we must address the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that permits them to establish new plans and move, depending on the demands of those in command. Many easily consider it as one of the best airship creations in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most iconic moments in video game history.

A Initial Glimpse of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial look of the environment this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also somehow angelic. The rounded structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded details on the building and the extended trails of light emanating from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was built to be a peaceful place — too peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Theme Song

Matching the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the fondest recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those aquatic statues spurting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Lullaby melody that lingers in your mind
• Main hub with fountain features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location as well as an organization. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Philosophy

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

Rigid Regulations

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a military school, but on the other seems strangely funny. For example, 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 fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely concerned about its students’ sex life. The school officially advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real threat of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not fighting with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Appearance

From the elegant advanced design of the building to the contradictions and dubious practices of the institution, there are many features of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.