Game review: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (Nintendo Switch)

The main thing that people like about video games more than movies is that they are interactive. Most movies aren't interactive because all you do is sit there and watch what unfolds from the director's main vision of the film. 

Whereas most video games, many of them offer alternate decisions that could lead to different endings or more. However, there is a small genre of games that feel more like books and movies though. These titles are called narrative adventure games, and this is the genre that The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood falls under.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has been developed by Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital, and it came out in August 2023. You may not have heard the game come out because it's not available for PlayStation or Xbox consoles. This game is exclusive only to the PC and Nintendo Switch platforms.

Before I begin talking about the game itself, I will say The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is of an acquired taste. This is because the game is around nine hours long, and most of the time, you will be reading a lot of text! As I said before, this is a narrative game, so there's not much real "gameplay" involved. 

Another thing that may bother more traditional gamers is that this game does not feature any voiceovers whatsoever. The only thing you will hear is the background music while you are reading a lot of dialogue. You may not like this game if you think reading books is boring!

Anyway, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has an interesting story because you play a young female witch named Fortuna. Fortuna is currently in a pickle because the leader of her coven has banished her to live on a tiny asteroid for 1,000 years. 

The reason she has been banished is because she predicted the downfall of the coven. At this point of the game, Fortuna wants revenge on her former leader and hopes to get even with her once she has served her very long sentence. 

The game doesn't give an explanation, but these witches can live a very long time! At the start of the game, Fortuna has been bored for 200 years, that is, until she meets a funny huge demon. This demon has the power to give her the ability to make her own tarot reading cards.  

When you progress further into the game, Fortuna's punishment has somewhat been lifted slightly because she can now see visitors. Some of her old friends manage to make the trip to see her again, although the leader who banished Fortuna in the first place has no plans to make a visit. 

One of the game's main mechanics is allowing you, as the player, to create your own tarot cards. Thanks to the power given to you by the demon, you can help Fortuna become a fortune teller again by making your own cards. 

When creating your cards, you are free to choose their designs and how they ultimately look. You can alter the characters, background, and even props, but you don't have much choice in terms of their function. Once you are settled with a design, Fortuna is ready to tell fortunes again!

Many of her witch friends visit the lonely Fortuna, and you can somewhat choose the answers about their future. You can be as kind or mean as you like, which I feel is great as it gives you loads of options to see different reactions. 

During some other segments of the game, you can also look back at Fortuna's past life via flashbacks. Bear in mind, this game isn't designed to be played by kids because some of the dialogue includes many profanities, sex, and more!

Graphically, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood has simple 2D graphics, although the animation is smooth and pretty at times. That being said, there aren't many different locations that you get to see since Fortuna is mostly trapped on the asteroid house she has. 

I also think a narrative game like this won't appeal to the masses or casual gamers. There is a lot of reading and cutscenes for you to go through. If you're a gamer who likes action, you're better off playing something else instead. 

While The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood might not be for everyone, it's still a fun experience if you are into its engaging story and characters. This game might still be worth playing if you want to play something different this year. 

Verdict: 8.0/10