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The Final Fantasy franchise features numerous memorable locations. From Elfheim in the original Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, all the way to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has found a cherished place in players' hearts, who admire the unique quirks that make these areas so unique. However, if one setting that merits greater recognition than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not only because of its beautiful design, but additionally for being a truly weird school.

The Absolute Movie Scene

Before, we must mention the elephant in the room. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and fleeing from a rocket attack was pure cinema. This institution was not only designed to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that enables them to establish new tactics and reposition, based on the demands of those in control. Many readily regard it as one of the coolest airship concepts in the series, together with Final Fantasy 10's Fahrenheit and several of the Final Fantasy 12 military airships.

This transformation of Balamb Garden into an airship remains one of the more iconic moments in gaming history.

The Initial Look of a Gloomy Sanctuary

When we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial glimpse of the environment this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot starts from the floor of the school and rises to focus on the awe-inspiring size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also heavenly. The curvy structures evoke a specifically late ‘90s idea of how the tomorrow would look. Conversely, because of the golden details on the building and the long trails of light coming from the massive glowing halo on top of the school, Balamb Garden looks like a giant angel. It was created to be a peaceful place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Catchy Melody

Complementing the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden conveys, we have the school’s theme song. One of the most cherished recollections I have from my youth is strolling around the main area of Balamb Garden, seeing those fish statues spouting water, and listening to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it keeps playing in your head forever. Once it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The only way to make it stop playing inside my head is to listen to it repeatedly of it.

• Lullaby melody that remains in your mind
• Central area with fountain features
• Sentimental memories for many players

A Compelling Academy

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

A Paradoxical Slogan

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you discover that the slogan of the institution is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” Apologies, but I didn't have the impression that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — except for Zell. But, given that the facility, where students encounter real monsters they can defeat, is the sole place in the entire school available at any time during the day, maybe that’s what they intend by “playing.” While combat preparation is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food 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.”

Strict Rules

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, for one, we would expect from a military school, but conversely seems weirdly amusing. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the evenings, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they lag in their studies, for aggressive acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not seem like it, but Balamb Garden is genuinely worried about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally 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 romantic relationships, not battling with gunblades and slashing each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

More Than Just Good Looks

From the refined advanced design of the building to the contradictions and dubious actions of the academy, there are numerous aspects of Balamb Garden to appreciate. Many of us like to make fun of Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only aesthetics.