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The FF series boasts countless memorable places. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, each has secured a special place in fans' hearts, who love the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these locales so remarkable. But, when it comes to one location that deserves more recognition than the others, it is definitely Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but also for being a truly bizarre school.

An Pure Blockbuster Moment

First, we must mention the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an airship and escaping from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This institution was not only designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that permits them to create new tactics and relocate, depending on the needs of those in charge. Many readily consider it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the franchise, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and some of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A Initial View of a Brooding Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the medical wing, we get our initial glimpse of the location this gloomy-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to zoom in on the staggering magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel advanced, but also heavenly. The flowing structures bring to mind a distinctly late ‘90s concept of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden details on the building and the long beams of light coming from the immense glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden evokes a giant angel. It was built to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an academy that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Memorable Melody

Complementing the tranquility that the aesthetic of Balamb Garden portrays, we have the school’s background music. One of the most cherished memories I have from childhood is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and hearing to the gentle theme song. The issue is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. 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 make it stop playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Soothing tune that sticks in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Nostalgic feelings for many players

A Compelling Institution

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an establishment. For starters, it enrolls kids from five to fifteen years old to turn them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant church. There are a lot of military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Motto

If you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you learn that the motto of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the feeling that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. However, given that the facility, where students find living monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While training is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is poor, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the staff have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Regulations

Students are controlled by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we should anticipate from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly humorous. First, there’s no 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 expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned 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 romantic relationships, not fighting with weapons and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Only Appearance

From the delicate futuristic design of the building to the contradictions and debatable decisions of the school, there are countless features of Balamb Garden to admire. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just good looks.