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This FF franchise features numerous memorable locations. Starting with Elfheim in the very first Final Fantasy, Midgar in Final Fantasy 7, to Limsa Lominsa in Final Fantasy 14, every one has secured a special place in players' hearts, who love the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these locales so unique. But, if one setting that warrants greater praise than the rest, it is undoubtedly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but additionally for being a truly bizarre school.

The Pure Cinematic Moment

Before, let's address the obvious. Balamb Garden transforming into an flying vessel and escaping from a rocket attack was absolute cinema. This location was not only intended to be a training camp for mercenaries. It is a moving base that allows them to develop new plans and relocate, based on the requirements of those in charge. I readily regard it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the series, 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 more unforgettable moments in gaming history.

A First View of a Brooding Home

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and see Quistis escorting Squall out of the infirmary, we get our initial glimpse of the location this sullen-looking teenager calls home. A sweeping shot begins from the ground of the school and ascends to zoom in on the awe-inspiring magnitude of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that makes it feel futuristic, but also somehow divine. The flowing structures recall a distinctly late ‘90s vision of how the tomorrow would look. Meanwhile, because of the gilded details on the building and the long trails of light coming from the immense glowing ring on top of the school, Balamb Garden resembles a massive angel. It was built to be a tranquil place — excessively peaceful for an establishment that transforms teenagers into mercenaries.

The Unforgettable Melody

Matching the calmness that the design of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s soundtrack. One of the most cherished memories I have from childhood is walking around the main area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and hearing to the soothing theme song. The catch is that it continues playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it comes back to my mind, I’m forced to look up on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to get it out of playing inside my head is to have enough of it.

• Soothing melody that lingers in your mind
• Central area with fountain features
• Sentimental associations for many players

The Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is fascinating as a location as well as an institution. For starters, it enrolls kids from 5 to fifteen years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks like a massive church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but not one look less like a militaristic than Balamb Garden.

A Paradoxical Motto

When you access the Balamb Garden Network via one of the in-game terminals, you find out that the motto of the school is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I didn't have the feeling that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, considering that the training area, where students encounter living monsters they can battle, is the only place in the whole school accessible at all hours during the day, maybe that’s what they mean by “playing.” While training is the primary 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 nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Strict Regulations

Students are governed by a strict set of rules, which, on one hand, we should expect from a combat school, but conversely seems weirdly funny. For example, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their dorms in the nights, except it’s for training. A student can be dismissed if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It might not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ romantic activities. The school formally 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 romantic relationships, not battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the opening cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Good Looks

From the delicate advanced design of the building to the ironies and questionable actions of the institution, there are countless elements of Balamb Garden to admire. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden reminds us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only surface appeal.