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The Final Fantasy series boasts countless iconic 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 secured a cherished place in fans' hearts, who admire the distinctive idiosyncrasies that make these areas so special. But, if one place that merits more attention than the rest, it is certainly Balamb Garden from Final Fantasy 8, not just because of its elegant design, but also for being a incredibly weird school.

The Absolute Blockbuster Scene

Before, let's mention the obvious. Balamb Garden morphing into an flying vessel and fleeing from a missile attack was absolute cinema. This place was not just designed to be a academy for mercenaries. It is a mobile base that allows them to establish new plans and reposition, depending on the demands of those in command. Many easily view it as one of the most impressive airship designs in the series, alongside 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 most iconic moments in gaming history.

A Initial Look of a Brooding Sanctuary

As we start playing Final Fantasy 8 and watch Quistis leading Squall out of the infirmary, we get our first look of the location this brooding-looking teenager calls home. A panoramic shot begins from the floor of the school and ascends to focus on the impressive size of the building. Balamb Garden has a design that feels futuristic, but also angelic. The curvy structures evoke a distinctly late ‘90s idea of how the future would look. On the other hand, because of the golden accents 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 serene place — too peaceful for an establishment that turns teenagers into mercenaries.

An Catchy Soundtrack

Complementing the calmness that the appearance of Balamb Garden suggests, we have the school’s background music. One of the dearest memories I have from childhood is strolling around the central area of Balamb Garden, watching those aquatic statues spouting water, and listening to the lullaby-ish theme song. The problem is that it keeps playing in your head indefinitely. Whenever it returns to my mind, I’m compelled to search on YouTube for a extended “Balamb Garden” song video. The sole way to get it out of playing inside my head is to overdose of it.

• Lullaby music that remains in your mind
• Central hub with fountain features
• Sentimental feelings for countless players

A Fascinating Academy

Balamb Garden is intriguing as a location and also an organization. For starters, it accepts kids from five to 15 years old to transform them into mercenaries, but it looks like a enormous church. There are many military schools in RPGs, like in Trails of Cold Steel, but none look less militaristic than Balamb Garden.

The Contradictory Motto

When you use the Balamb Garden Network using one of the game terminals, you learn that the slogan of the academy is “Work hard, study hard, and play hard.” I’m sorry, but I never have the sense that those teenagers preparing to be mercenaries are “playing hard” — only Zell. But, given that the facility, where students encounter living monsters they can battle, is the only place in the entire school available at any time during the day, perhaps that’s what they mean by “playing.” While combat preparation is the most important part of a student’s life in Balamb Garden, their food is terrible, since students are consuming so many frankfurters that the faculty have nothing else to say besides “No more hot dogs today.”

Tight Rules

Students are governed by a tight set of rules, which, for one, we should expect from a combat school, but conversely seems weirdly humorous. First, there’s no dress code in the school, but they can’t leave their rooms in the nights, unless it’s for training. A student can be expelled if they fall behind in their curriculum, for violent acts, and for… “sexual promiscuity.” It may not look like it, but Balamb Garden is really concerned about its students’ sex life. The school formally 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 battling with gunblades and cutting each other's faces like Squall and Seifer were doing in the intro cutscene.)

Greater Than Just Good Looks

From the refined advanced design of the building to the contradictions and dubious practices of the school, there are countless aspects of Balamb Garden to admire. We all like to joke about Squall, but Balamb Garden serves to remind us that there’s greater depth to Final Fantasy 8 than only good looks.