Final Fantasy VIII was a divisive entry in the beloved franchise when it released in 1999. For many, things like the junction and draw systems felt like too much of a departure from previous games, and an out-of-left-field plot twist near the end left a lot of fans scratching their heads.
These days, Final Fantasy VIII is remembered a little more fondly, if not necessarily as a masterpiece. One reason why is the world; it feels slightly more grounded than the high sci-fi and fantasy settings of previous games. There’s nothing wrong with FFVII’s Gaia or FFVI’s World of Balance, it’s just that they were occupied by fantasy archetypes and threatened by otherworldly beings that are hardly relatable to us as players.
Source: IGN.com Final Fantasy 8's Train Heist Is Its Most Underrated Moment