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This FF franchise boasts countless memorable settings. 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 earned a cherished place in players' hearts, who admire the distinctive details that make these worlds so remarkable. But, when it comes to one setting that merits more attention than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a absolutely strange school.

An Absolute Movie Moment

Before, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This place was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that permits them to establish new strategies and move, depending on the requirements of those in control. I readily view it as one of the most impressive airship concepts in the franchise, along 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 unforgettable moments in video game history.

A Initial View of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial look of the place this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to focus on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that appears advanced, but also divine. The curvy structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden features on the building and the long beams of light emanating from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was created to be a serene place — too peaceful for an institution that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Soundtrack

Matching the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest recollections I have from my youth is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spurting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Whenever 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 music that sticks in your mind
• Central hub with water features
• Nostalgic associations for many players

The Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an establishment. First, it enrolls kids from five to 15 years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Slogan

If you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the slogan of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. However, given that the facility, where students find real monsters they can kill, is the only place in the entire school accessible at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the primary aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their diet is terrible, since students are eating so many frankfurters that the personnel have nothing else to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we would expect from a military 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 may be dismissed if they fall behind in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ sex life. The school officially suggests that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true 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 opening cutscene.)

More Than Just Aesthetics

Starting with the elegant advanced design of the building to the paradoxes and dubious practices of the academy, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.