WARNING: the end of this review contains a meta-joke that alludes to a major plot point in the game. To remain fully unspoiled, stop reading at the "-------". Even if you've completed the game once, I don't recommend continuing further than that unless you've finished all three routes.
Definitely a recommend for me, despite its flaws. While not one of my favourite games I've ever played, the brilliant premise, stellar (pun intended) writing for both the funny and dramatic scenes, and its OST which actually is one of the best I've ever heard make Virgo vs. the Zodiac absolutely worth a buy if you're at all a fan of unconventional turn-based games or games with timed hits at all, really.
The major issues I have with the game are that you really have to get all three endings to fully appreciate the story, and since the divergence points come early on in the game that means essentially you need to do like 2.6 or 2.7 whole playthroughs, which isn't all that fun, despite the changes between routes. Thankfully, each playthrough lasts like 10 hours if you're rushing so it's not as obscene as what Atlus made everyone do every game for the past 15 years for example, but it's still a little draining. I'm not even gonna touch Keylocker until next year at the earliest because I don't want to have to replay a game so many times before officially "completing" its story anytime soon. I'm personally not that big a fan of the fact that every Moonana game (given what we know about Clowned King) is gonna have this narrative structure, because if just getting one ending isn't intended to be enough to satisfy the player and give them a good amount of closure, it's not a good ending. It shouldn't be necessary to do this to get the full picture of the plot, especially since the routes are very very similar and have minimal differences between them.
Also, while keeping in mind that I still adore this game and recommend it to everyone reading this who's an RPG fan....the gameplay isn't that great, actually. While the environments are creative, high-concept and intriguing, and undeniably very very enjoyable, the act of actually exploring them feels mid at best. The worst offender is the final chapter's area imo. It's just not inherently fun to walk around the world in this game, you get the fun from combat, flavour text and the story. And the combat system isn't super well-thought out either, it's unique, dynamic, and fun moment-to-moment, but it's way too easy to break the game just by using a build you thought about for like ten seconds. Fighting's still super fun, I just wouldn't put the system in my top tier of combat systems (this doesn't even lick the boots of Bug Fables or Octopath Traveler, for example)
This game is really, really, really strong on characters. Without spoiling, I love all four members of the main gang and all their individual dynamics as duos, and there's four other Zodiacs I really love, although after revelations about her in some of the post-game content, I'm a bit conflicted about one of them.... Scorpio's Zodiac Memory, accessed under Extras after beating the game once from the main menu. What the actual fuck. I cleared it like an hour ago and still feel sick to my stomach. I'm yet to decide whether this improves or destroys her character.
The narrative also does something I've not seen any other game do, by having the ending you'd think would be the best actually be the worst from a narrative satisfaction standpoint, and the superficially "worse" endings being the ones to provide real answers about the overarching world. There's also other ingeniously clever things in the plotting where things any player would assume are just plot holes/retcons are actually gigantic hints to what's really going on behind the scenes, so when you combine that with the great writing, I can definitely say the story here is brilliant.
----------
If I had to choose an absolute favourite, it'd really just have to be Virgo, for being a supremely funny, complex, and weirdly likable villain protagonist whose writing is inordinately well done in all three routes. Though Sagittarius and Aries matched her in entertainment value she smashes them both on depth of writing, so it's pretty clear:
Virgo is my favourite charac|__
wait wtf what the ac|
AAAAAAAKHJGLHLGKGFKLKGGFFGH
$#@#%()*#@##@~~~~!@@@
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢸⣿⣷⣶⣦⣤⣤⣤⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣤⣤⣤⣴⣶⣾⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠘⠻⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠿⠟⠛⠁⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⠉⠉⠉⠉ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⣀⣀⣀⣀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢠⣶⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣶⣤⡄⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢸⣿⠿⠿⠛⠛⠛⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠙⠛⠛⠿⠿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⠀
R e b o o t i n g . . . . .
Definitely a recommend for me, despite its flaws. While not one of my favourite games I've ever played, the brilliant premise, stellar (pun intended) writing for both the funny and dramatic scenes, and its OST which actually is one of the best I've ever heard make Virgo vs. the Zodiac absolutely worth a buy if you're at all a fan of unconventional turn-based games or games with timed hits at all, really.
The big issue I have with this game is that one of the three endings is unbelievably terrible, and so deeply unsatisfying as a story that I genuinely wouldn't recommend any player even attempt to get it, even for the Steam cheevo. Like it's genuinely so bad, every character is OOC, it feels just like it's unfinished and not fully written, and it just leaves you wishing you never bought the game. Seriously, just completely disregard the Mutable Ending, it just fucking sucks and isn't fun, and you definitely aren't missing anything about the lore or whatever if you just skip it completely. Do Cardinal for a Good End or Fixed if you want a Bad End, just don't ever go Mutable. Seriously, there is nothing for you there, at all. Don't worry, I promise you're not losing out in any way by forgoing it, not at all.
Also, while keeping in mind that I still adore this game and recommend it to everyone reading this who's an RPG fan....the gameplay isn't that great, actually. And the combat system isn't super well-thought out either, it's unique, dynamic, and fun moment-to-moment, but it's way too easy to break the game just by using a build you thought about for like ten seconds. Fighting's still super fun, I just wouldn't put the system in my top tier of combat systems (this doesn't even lick the boots of Bug Fables or Octopath Traveler, for example)
This game is really, really, really strong on characters, because it's hard carried by one character in particular. She's just so unbelievably fucking amazing in every scene she appears, just streets and streets ahead compared to everyone else in the whole damn cast. Effortlessly badass all the time with a flawlessly cool and perfect personality, and in possession of a significantly superior intellect that dwarfs everyone else in the game, it's impossible to not feel an intense admiration for her valiant determination to achieve her noble goals, and her sheer force of will to bear the weight of the whole world on her shoulders to protect everyone from dangers they don't even know exist. She's just got it together way more and is on top of things way more than every other member of the cast, ESPECIALLY Virgo. Virgo basically doesn't know what she's talking about at all and is mentally for all intents and purposes a toddler compared to her. In short, she's the DEFINITION of a baddie and I can't wait for you to experience her for yourself.
Gemini best girl. Without a doubt.