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This Final Fantasy series includes numerous iconic settings. From Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has earned a cherished place in players' hearts, and they celebrate the unique details that make these locales so unique. However, when it comes to one location that merits more attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its stunning design, but also for being a absolutely bizarre school.

An Absolute Blockbuster Scene

First, let's address the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden turning into an flying vessel and escaping from a missile attack was pure cinema. This location was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a moving base that allows them to develop new plans and reposition, based on the demands of those in charge. I easily regard it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the franchise, along with 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 memorable moments in gaming history.

The Initial Look of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we begin playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial view of the environment this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the staggering scale of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also divine. The flowing structures bring to mind a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the gilded features on the building and the long beams of light coming from the enormous glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was created to be a tranquil place — too peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Melody

Complementing the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s theme song. One of the dearest recollections I have from being a kid is strolling 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 keeps playing in your head forever. Once it comes back to my mind, I’m compelled to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to end playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Gentle music that remains in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Nostalgic memories for many players

A Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location as well as an institution. For starters, it accepts kids from 5 to 15 years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it appears like a giant church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Ironic Philosophy

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the game terminals, you find out that the motto of the academy 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” — except for Zell. However, considering that the training area, where students encounter real monsters they can kill, is the only place in the whole school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their nutrition is awful, since students are devouring so many frankfurters that the faculty have no other response to say except “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Policies

Students are governed by a rigid set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems oddly amusing. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they are not allowed to leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they fall behind in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ sex life. The school formally advises that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the real risk of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Good Looks

From the refined advanced design of the building to the contradictions and dubious actions of the institution, there are countless 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.