The stunning sprites of Virgo vs The Zodiac
With near as many particle effects as pixels, Virgo is a looker.
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Virgo vs. the Zodiac is a fantasy JRPG with sci-fi themes couched in the Zodiac calendar. Titular protagonist Virgo, who developer Moonana describes as an "obsessed villain" in the game's Fig campaign, is on a quest to achieve "purity and perfection" by seeking out other Zodiac such as Capicorn and Pisces and striking down those she deems heretics. It's a novel setting with an interesting anti-hero, but for me the real hook is its twitch-based, turn-based 2D combat and the visual flourish it brings with it.
Virgo's abilities fall under 'fixed', 'mutable' and 'cardinal' and vary in effectiveness based on enemy types. It's a flashy color-coded system that seems a natural fit for its timed guard and counter systems, which require you to use myriad shields to deflect enemy attacks.
At its core, Virgo vs. the Zodiac is classic pixel art, which makes the motion conveyed through its animations that much more impressive. Characters bounce and dash with delightful speed, kicking up clouds of dust as they whirl across the screen. I'm also a sucker for Virgo's Sailor Moon vibe.
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Austin freelanced for PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and has been a full-time writer at PC Gamer's sister publication GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a staff writer is just a cover-up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news, the occasional feature, and as much Genshin Impact as he can get away with.