The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

An enchanting, emotionally charged visual novel with a new take on deck-building and tarot divination.

I played through The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood once, but it’s clear that it’s a game with a lot of different paths and outcomes. Though fate may be determined, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood’s ever-branching story has many conclusions.

"The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is nothing short of superb, the sort of game that demands to be experienced as soon as possible"

A splendid, engrossing blend of visual novel and card creation game, where the cards you create are the means of navigating dialogue and pursuing a story about outcast witches, their griefs, lusts and more destructive tendencies.

Aside from being constrained by dialogue—which, for my taste, sometimes relies too much on pain to get me invested (“I tried to kill myself so many times that I can’t even [...] look at myself in the mirror,” comes up as a choice for Fortuna more than once; “If we don’t dig into the intense stuff we might as well just have a normal conversation,” she says another time)—I am powerful in this game. But in its customizable cards and in its story, in which witches are obsessed with strength and disappointing each other, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood encourages me to think about this seriously. How selfish am I? What matters more, me or my community?

The Tarot deckbuilding aspect is present and correct here, but the wide variety of Witches and the way their stories intertwine is where The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood really shines. Every being that you encounter has a purpose in this story, and all the threads twist together to make a truly beautiful tapestry. Being locked down narrative paths without the ability to return might not be for everyone, but it's a moot point when the story is this good - every playthrough will feel like a brand-new experience.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is an amazing narrative journey exploring fate, politics, isolation, friendship and more, filled with a stellar cast and great writing and music, but the tarot card creation is what will easily have players addicted for hours, and the way it ties into the main story is done superbly. It makes for a truly unique adventure game that's not to be missed out on, especially for those looking to get creative, go nuts and craft the motorcycle wolf card of their dreams.

A mystical, narrative experience enhanced above all by the dialogues and multiple choices, while it is a little more cryptic in the gameplay.

Fortuna's journey undoubtedly ranks as one of my highlights of the year, and shouldn't be overlooked.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a fantastic story-driven game with beautiful art and delightful gameplay. There’s something here for anyone, whether it’s your first cozy game or your thirtieth. You don’t need to be femme or a tarot-lover to enjoy what this lovely game has to say about being alive, loving yourself and others, and our power to shape the world around us. If you need a palette cleanser between this fall's major releases, I hope you’ll consider this gem.