The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is your classic self-empowering queer space witch story-driven tarot simulator. I’m being facetious, as there’s no other game I could remotely describe that way. And I love it.
There is so much to appreciate about the newest game from indie studio Deconstructeam. In The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, you play as Fortuna, a witch who has been banished from her coven to live on an asteroid. After centuries of loneliness, she takes her fate into her own hands.
Not only is it a great game in its own right, but I believe that The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has given players a new high standard for cozy video games.
Setting the Record Straight
Deconstructeam’s previous release, The Red Strings Club, was a decent mystery game with a few experimental bright spots and one pretty bad case of dead-naming. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, by comparison, includes a delicately told story of a trans witch which I found especially thoughtful. It felt like the studio’s attempt at rectifying that prior mistake.
Whereas The Red Strings Club tried to fit the existing mold of a cozy bar-management simulator, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood proves the studio can pioneer. The game meets all of the standards of the genre—familiar patterns, lovable community, sweet art, and chill music—while also elevating itself with a novel concept, late-game excitement, and a robust range of activities.
A Beguiling Tarot Video Game
One of the most impressive parts of The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is just how many gameplay elements there are. Throughout the game, players do tarot readings for a variety of other witches who come to visit.
For players who have had experience with tarot, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood plays with the structures you’re familiar with in an enjoyable way. For those who don’t have experience, no problem. The game explains everything you need to know and provides a safe space to explore your curiosity. Characters will ask questions about their life or seek advice, and protagonist Fortuna will choose cards from her deck for each query. You’ll consider multiple interpretations of the card and choose the message you wish to share.
I loved doing readings for my witchy friends, encouraging them to take chances and predicting reconnections with old flames.
Creating Cards in The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood Is Awesome
No two tarot decks in The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood are alike. Not only do players do tarot readings, but they create the cards themselves in a comprehensive artistic activity.
Making a new card invites creativity. Players select a background, focal icon, and complementary tool from dozens of options, then arrange them however they choose. Each combination (which must be in the hundreds!) determines a card name and generates a unique description and name that can impact the outcomes of your readings. I’ve showcased a few screenshots below of my first card I designed:
As you continue to play, deck-building becomes more and more enticing. On my first playthrough, I decided to skew Fortuna’s deck towards mercy and communication. I took care to build cards that I hoped would increase my chances of understanding customers and giving compassionate readings.
In well-written dialogue sequences, your tarot readings affect your relationships and lead to exploratory mini-games in the form of optional “interactive fiction” for Fortuna to read. There’s also yet another brilliant feature, found in the late-game, that I don’t wish to spoil here. Just trust me that The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is not a simple experience, and it will continue to delight.
A Bedtime Story You Won’t Want To Put Down
That assumes, though, that you only play the game once! I’ve already played it twice, in no small part because of the game’s excellent story. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has a clear, well-defined three-act structure. The narrative’s pacing and details are confident. I loved advancing the main plot, but I didn’t feel rushed to do so. I could take my time meeting other witches, creating cards, and experiencing mini-stories. No matter if I wanted a long or short burst of gaming, there was something lovely to do.
I often play video games—both large and small—where it feels like the story is an afterthought. That’s not the case in Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. Every development and every ending (of which many are possible) feels earned. It does not overstay its welcome, nor is too quick to exit after whetting my appetite. Each character feels detailed and rich. There’s an impressive number of witches to meet and connect with, and each has an interesting perspective.
A Few Stumbles
While I can confidently recommend The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood to just about any adult gamer, I do have some qualms and/or general warnings:
Tired Clichés
There is a Black-appearing witch named Dahlia (I say Black-appearing because she’s technically a Daemon-hunter from another planet so who knows how race works there). Dahlia is one of my favorite characters in the game; she’s a thoughtful friend, bold leader, and communicates openly and honestly. However, I occasionally felt like Spain-based developer Deconstructeam was leaning on problematic stereotypes of Black American women.
Dahlia is very boisterous, ample-breasted in a sexy outfit, and quickly excitable to violence. I might have been overly sensitive to this, but I felt it was worth naming. I just want Dahlia’s design to receive the same amount of careful attention as the other witches.
Not Enough Àbramar
This next point is nowhere near as serious: The first NPC you meet in the game is a Behemoth (a giant ancient magical being) named Àbramar. As of right now, you can’t romance him, which many people agree is a shame. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood feels ripe for DLC, though, so maybe we’ll get lucky!
Character Backstories
Not all witches get the same amount of attention or backstory detail, which is a bummer, because they’re all awesome. However, everyone has at least one moment to shine, which I appreciate. It’s a truly impressively large cast of characters.
The Subject Material
It’s worth noting that this game is rated M for mature for a good reason. There are some pretty heavy themes including self-harm, depression, drug use, and various sexy things, albeit all conveyed via dialogue or card details (i.e., not “in action”).
I think the M rating enables the game to get into some bigger, thoughtful concepts that most cozy games (usually rated E) are not able to delve into. However, the Mature rating could be a turn-off for some people.
Additionally, some people will also not like witchy/arcane things, but in that case, this game is obviously not for them.
Beauty and Vibes You’ll Want To Steep In
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the gorgeous, varied visuals. Whether you’re moving pixelated Fortuna around her home, conversing with creatively designed witches, or designing new cards with lush artwork, you’ll be delighted by the art of The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood also has excellent vibes, helped by bright lo-fi music that knows when to take a back seat or hype up the action. Sam Martinelli recently reflected on video game vibes in his Sea of Stars review:
“Now, when I discuss a game’s vibes, I’m not referring to a specific definition or set of rules. It’s more fundamental than that—determining whether something has good or bad vibes relies on actual play experience and the various emotions going through the player’s head whilst simply existing in a particular virtual universe. To figure out if you like a title’s vibes, just ask yourself a few simple questions: Do I like being here? Do I want to see more? Does it matter if I don’t fully understand why I’m here, but wish to stay anyway?”
My answer to all three of these questions for The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a resounding “yes.”
Final Thoughts: Is The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood a Good Game?
Yes! 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.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is your classic self-empowering queer space witch story-driven tarot simulator. I’m being facetious, as there’s no other game I could remotely describe that way. And I love it.
As I mentioned previously, this game is a great length. I spent about 12-15 hours on my completionist, card-creation heavy playthrough, though you can beat it in as short to 5-6 hours. You’ll be tempted to play it again to explore different paths and endings. At its $19.99 price point, I think it’s a phenomenal deal.
I would’ve had my review up sooner, but I’ve been busy with family and travel. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood proved a perfect companion on my Nintendo Switch. If you need a palette cleanser between this fall’s major releases, I hope you’ll consider this gem.
There’s one thing I don’t need any tarot cards to predict–The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood will make my list of top video games of 2023.
Score: 9.5/10
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood released on August 16, 2023, for Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. It was developed by Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher.
