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This FF series boasts many unforgettable settings. Starting with 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 fans' hearts, who love the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these worlds so remarkable. However, when it comes to one setting that deserves greater recognition than the others, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its beautiful design, but also for being a truly strange school.

An Absolute Cinematic Reveal

Before, we must highlight the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a traveling base that permits them to create new tactics and relocate, based on the requirements of those in charge. Many readily regard it as one of the coolest airship creations in the franchise, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

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

A First Glimpse of a Gloomy Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look 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 awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels advanced, but also somehow angelic. The flowing structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden accents on the building and the long trails of light emanating from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a giant angel. It was built to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an institution that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

An Memorable Theme Song

Matching the tranquility that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished memories I have from my youth is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spraying water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The issue is that it continues playing in your head constantly. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to get it out of playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Lullaby music that lingers in your mind
• Main courtyard with water features
• Nostalgic memories for many players

A Compelling Academy

Balamb Garden is compelling as a location and also an organization. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to 15 years old to mold them into mercenaries, but it looks like a giant church. There are numerous military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Ironic Philosophy

When you use the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the sense that those teenagers training to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can kill, is the sole place in the whole school available at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the key aspect of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are consuming so many hot dogs that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Rigid Rules

Students are controlled by a rigid set of rules, which, on one hand, we should expect from a combat school, but on the other seems oddly humorous. For example, there’s not a dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the evenings, except it’s for training. A student may be dismissed if they lag in their studies, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is truly concerned about its students’ relationships. The school officially recommends that students “take time to think things through before starting a relationship.” (After all, the true danger of being a student of Balamb Garden is love affairs, not fighting with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Only Appearance

From the elegant advanced design of the building to the contradictions and questionable actions of the school, there are numerous elements of Balamb Garden to celebrate. Many of us like to tease Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s more to Final Fantasy 8 than just aesthetics.