I didn’t play The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood at launch. It was a matter of too many games, too little time, and I figured I’d eventually get into it. (I’m sure there’s some sort of misconception that because I do what I do for a living, I get tons of free games and somehow have the time to play them all, but alas it isn’t true.) I added it to my eShop wishlist, figured I’d get it eventually, and moved along. A week off from work for the holidays and 20% discount meant I eventually caved, and in so doing discovered it is the perfect game to play at the very end of an old year or beginning of a new one.
For those who missed Deconstructeam and Devolver Digital’s adventure when it debuted back in August 2023, it is a game about endings and beginnings. Fortuna is a witch sentenced to 1,000 years in exile. She’s an oracle, and one of her tarot card readings said the coven she belongs to would end. 200 years into it, she performs forbidden magic to summon a Behemoth to find a way out. This is the impetus for change, bringing an end to many things and new beginnings for Fortuna, other witches she knows, and the coven.
The beauty of The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is how it is telling Fortuna’s life story as you play, while also looking into what lies ahead for the witch. As such, this cycle of beginnings and endings, as well as investigations into possible futures, feels especially appropriate to play when a real year is just coming to an end or about to begin. I started the adventure a few days after Christmas. It made hearing about Fortuna’s ascending into witchhood and preparing to bust out of exile feel even more poignant. After all, with things that happened because of COVID and other outside factors, life could feel like it was stagnating for practically everyone. We’re in a phase of recovery, just as Fortuna is, and building ourselves back up.
I purposely waited to get into the second half of the game, which deals heavily with what’s next for Fortuna, the people she is closest to, and her coven, for New Year’s Day. Now that I did, it felt like an even more appropriate time. Starting out 2024 by taking such action, even in a virtual life, was empowering. Especially since the decisions I made and ending meant that I got to see the results of my choices far more quickly than, say, deciding on December 22, 2023 to exercise more every day with games like Beat Saber, The Thrill of the Fight, and Knockout Home Fitness.
It’s really all due to Deconstructeam’s execution and writing. Fortuna is a protagonist that is easy to identify with, in part because there is the element of self-insertion and personalization that comes from making her choices and building her deck of fortune-telling cards. Her struggles become our struggles. Her successes and opportunities to do something new, find freedom, and become better become our own. We’re getting these immediate senses of achievement and closure based on what we’re getting to do.
Of course, the nature and quality of The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood means it is a great game to play at any time. The messages here are really strong and are great at resonating with people. Also, the fact that choices matter and you get to make so many makes replaying an appealing prospect. But after playing it when I did, I can’t help but feel that it is especially good when a major change is approaching or ending in someone’s life, making it a lovely pick to end or kick off a year.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is available on the Nintendo Switch and PC.
Published: Jan 6, 2024 09:00 am