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This FF series includes numerous iconic settings. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a special place in fans' hearts, and they admire the distinctive quirks that make these areas so unique. However, when it comes to one setting that deserves more recognition than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a absolutely bizarre school.

The Absolute Cinematic Scene

First, we must highlight the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and fleeing from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not just intended to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to establish new tactics and reposition, depending on the needs of those in command. Many easily view it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the series, alongside Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

The conversion of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the most iconic moments in gaming history.

The First Look of a Brooding Home

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our first glimpse 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 size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also angelic. The rounded structures recall a specifically late ‘90s concept of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the golden features on the building and the extended beams of light emanating from the enormous glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was built to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an academy that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Unforgettable Theme Song

Complementing the tranquility that the design of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished recollections I have from being a kid is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The problem is that it continues playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a 3-hour-long “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to make it stop playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Lullaby tune that lingers in your mind
• Main area with water features
• Sentimental memories for countless players

The Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a setting and also an organization. First, it accepts kids from 5 to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it appears like a giant church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Contradictory Slogan

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you learn 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” — except for Zell. However, considering that the training area, where students find real monsters they can battle, is the sole place in the whole school available at any time during the day, maybe 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 poor, since students are eating so many hot dogs that the staff have no other response to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Policies

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, on one hand, we would anticipate from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly humorous. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely worried about its students’ relationships. The school officially advises 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 romantic relationships, not battling with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Aesthetics

Starting with the elegant futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and questionable practices of the academy, there are many elements of Balamb Garden to admire. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than simply surface appeal.