The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

SPOILERS!! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION I tried to be as vague as possible but yeah. This game had amazing potential. The story telling in the demo got me hooked enough to purchase the full game to play, as a woman, someone with a sister, and someone who has experienced depression there were multiple moments in this game where I cried. I liked the game play of making cards and loved learning about people through them. Then the game violently pivots and rushes storylines that could have been really beautiful. My first experience of this pivot is when one of the characters abruptly confesses they are in love with you. They act weird the whole time you talk to them then they confess and you confess back and suddenly you're in love this is great and everything is perfect... it's jarring and weird it feels completely unnatural and forced. Your wish was for romance not sudden deep committed relationship. You have better chemistry with other characters yet this one is the one you end up with? Not to mention that if you don't pick the right answers they will end up betraying you at the end with no warning as they are coded that way. The other rushed storyline is about a trans woman. The idea behind this storyline is super interesting and emotional. but that's all this felt like, an idea. You could feel the story behind it but it was like they condensed it down into just the most important parts and left out the details. This could have been something bigger, and I was left wanting more out of this character. Then we get shifted into a political party management sim??? This outright threw me for a loop. Suddenly we are no longer talking about emotions, making connections, and learning about characters. Instead we are using the knowledge to manipulate the outcomes of the game. To make this worse it is honestly against what our main character stands for. The game becomes very management style as you have to keep telling people what to do, they do it and come back, and then you send them off again. It gets boring, the story loses meaning and starts to completely unravel. Your choices feel like they have no meaning and the conversations are just dull. My last issue with this game comes from a political standpoint. This game was sold as something that was LGBTQ+ friendly/supportive. However a huge issue comes up when we meet the transgender character, while her story is very emotional and beautiful we then get insight about how "men" cannot become witches yet non binary people can. I am not sure how I feel about this as I don't think we should be putting nonbinary people into the box of women. I don't think this information was integral to the story line, even with the trans woman's story included, and felt like it was thrown in there as a bone to the community and honestly comes off as disrespectful. In the end I feel like the game had a lot of potential if it kept it's focus on the storyline and people instead of becoming more of a political party management sim. It also should have been slowed down as a lot of the stories feel completely rushed. I really liked the first half of the game, it's a shame it didn't end as strongly.

Great short visual novel, loved the world building.

Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is one of those games that feels less like something you play and more like something you experience. Every character is unapologetically unique. You are constantly reminded that there isn't one 'right' way to exist. In this universe, you can become whoever you truly are, embracing your identity, creativity, beliefs, and flaws... and somehow it all just belongs. The story gently asks difficult questions about freedom, destiny, power, and the consequences of our choices, making you weigh emotions you may not have expected to confront. It invites reflection and leaves space for your own interpretations. And then there's the art and the music.. Genuinely beautiful. Every scene feels so warm, and the soundtrack wraps around it all so nicely. It is almost like the music breathes alongside the narrative. TL;DR: Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a celebration of individuality in a way that feels honest rather than idealistic. It is a game I will be thinking about for a long time :)

[h1]省流：不推荐，除非打折且你非常吃它的美术和设定[/h1] 这篇测评主要从剧情体验角度评价《宇宙之轮姐妹会》，不会太细地聊玩法、美术和系统。对我来说，文游最重要是它讲好一个故事。 简单来说，《宇宙之轮姐妹会》讲的，是一个被流放的女巫如何重新获得自由，并在占卜、契约和女性共同体中重新理解命运的故事。 我需要承认，这款游戏前半段的体验很好地继承了主创上一款作品《红弦俱乐部》的风格。细腻、柔和，能悄无声息地让玩家沉浸其中。 当然了换个角度来说，这款游戏的节奏并不激烈，甚至可以说是平淡的。不过平淡本身没什么问题，游戏就像吃饭一样，有人喜欢重油重盐，也有人喜欢清清淡淡。清淡本身不会影响我对它的判断，真正重要的是到底好不好吃。 而《宇宙之轮姐妹会》的前半段，对我来说是好吃的。 它节奏慢，但不空。前期主创的笔触依旧在线慢慢的去写友情、爱情、女性之间的关系，也写 Fortuna 被流放后的脆弱、孤独和不甘。主角不是一开始就无所不能的人，哪怕后期我们知道她拥有很强的力量，但这不重要。重点在于她更多是一个被困住的人，一个需要重新触碰世界、重新理解他人，也重新理解自己的人。 这一点我很喜欢。 而且卡牌系统也是一个很加分的功能，甚至可以说超越了《红弦》的设计。这么说有些偏颇，但是《红弦》的调酒系统更多的是服务于别人，而《姐妹会》更多地服务于主角本身，甚至还赋予了一种玩家操纵命运的既视感。卡牌在一定程度上赋予了这款游戏更强的代入感和沉浸感。这对于一款偏线性的文游来说，它能用这种方式增加一点自由度和互动感，是一件难能可贵的事情。 不过哪怕是到这里其实也还只是一款不错的佳作，但在游戏后面揭露 [spoiler] Fortuna 并不是在单纯预言未来，而是在某种意义上锁死未来。就是那种命运本来有很多条，但是由于Fortuna的占卜让命运强行坍缩了，这种对命运的掌控感，真是欲罢不能。因此当真相揭开之后，前面那些选择一下子变得沉重了。玩家不是简单的旁观命运，而是在让某种未来变成无法逃脱的宿命。也正因为如此，Fortuna 当初的罪行才显得严重，她才会被流放。这个设定出来的时候，这个桥段真的十分的精妙。 那种能感觉到命运在自己手里运行的感觉初体验的时候真的爽死，也对得上《宇宙之轮姐妹会》“宇宙之轮”的这种史诗感。 [/spoiler] 可惜的是，后半段….一言难尽。 本人并不是不能接受政治线，也不是不能接受故事[spoiler]从个人命运扩大到魔女社会的未来[/spoiler]。但在如此沉浸的体验中，如此这般突兀的砸进来，又不能再度升华主题，又或者呈现出更多更加精彩的故事。 它看起来关乎整个魔女社会的未来，但游戏并没有展现出足够有说服力的政治博弈。 [spoiler]这简直就是败笔！[/spoiler] 我不相信主创会写不好这个部分，或者说ta们敢写本身应该是有把握的。但是如果要写选举，那至少应该写出制度、权力、代价和群体选择的重量。但在描述制度影响到的人时，却只是寥寥几笔就带过了，甚至主创铺垫了那么久的角色就这么轻飘飘的[spoiler]下线了，即便的确在玩家做选项的时候就知道这个角色会死[/spoiler]，但如此草率的描写，就像在说“啊，邻居家的谁谁上周走了”，然后呢？那些角色对主角而言就这么没有触动吗？ 权力的部分也没有写出来。 前期我能通过 Fortuna 被流放这件事，感觉到魔女社会的权力结构似乎很强，也能感觉到某些掌权者确实拥有压迫他人的能力。但到了真正进入政治线的时候，这种权力反而没有被很好地展开。反而让人感觉在玩过家家，上一个执政党的权力就突然消逝不见了，这可能吗？甚至大部分人都只在造谣的层面，去污蔑竞争对手。甚至除了[spoiler]格蕾丝的背叛[/spoiler]让我有些震惊，别的人就背叛了就背叛了，甚至[spoiler]主角背叛[/spoiler]也就是背叛了，最多就是选票上的波动仅此而已。 这就导致故事从原本很宏大的“命运与自由”主题，一下子压缩成了“这个社会谁来当老大”的争夺，关键是写得很儿戏。 主要是前面给我的期待感太足了，后期这种处理实在是显得过于粗糙了！ 感觉就是我能感受到每一个选择都像是在拨动命运。那些卡牌、占卜、契约和未来，让我爽的不行。但到了后半段政治线，啪，一下这种感觉就消失了，甚至我觉得政治线这个设计有种为了升华而升华[spoiler]（不是老娘都是魔女了大家就非得去参加什么劳什子选举，都能永生了最次也能长生了，还在乎短短的几十年我和我的朋友美美浪迹天涯会死吗？而且都反目成仇了，最后还得生活在一起，甚至还在宣扬友谊万岁？）[/spoiler]，为了设计冲突而设计冲突[spoiler]（我chovy了，为了让角色之间反目成仇也真是为难你了）[/spoiler]。 最最最重要的是，前面都已经通过人物关系、互帮互助、流放、占卜和命运选择，把女性共同体和自由议题写得很自然，很舒服了，后半段却强行插入了如此直白、甚至有种喊口号的内容来重新强调一遍[spoiler]（纯纯画蛇添足，多此一举！甚至有些用词跟抽风了一样非得来这么一下）[/spoiler]。 极大地降低了前面的张力。 明明前面的故事已经证明了这些主题，后面却像是不放心读者看不出来，于是又把主题拎出来喊了一次。这样一来，原本自然生长出来的女性力量，反而变得空泛。它不是不能表达主题，而是像赶工后的补充说明。 如果没有后面的政治线，没有那些让我觉得突兀的口号式收束，而是继续沿着前半段的方向，写她们如何互帮互助，如何理解命运，如何离开困境，我可能会觉得这是一款十分不错的游戏，甚至二者去掉一个我也会给一个瑕不掩瑜的评价。 但很遗憾什么都没有，这只是我的一腔情愿，所以整个后面的体验都非常的差。 除了剧情的问题，多周目体验也很糟糕。 作为一款明显鼓励玩家探索不同选择和结局的叙事游戏，却没有提供足够舒适的重复体验。前面有大量重复文本没有办法有效跳过，这对一个拥有收集癖的玩家来说堪称酷刑。 所以对于那些被美术和设计所吸引的玩家只玩一遍，可能会认为这是一款气质不错、设定亮眼、有些地方很有想法的作品。但很遗憾我是一个很在乎剧情的玩家甚至有种收集癖，这种该死的重复体验所带来的消磨，不断放大后半段剧情的问题，以至于到了我写下这些文字的时候，感到非常愤怒，[spoiler]而且你还是一个原价卖60+的文游你好意思吗？！[/spoiler] 总结一下： 《宇宙之轮姐妹会》优点在于出挑的美术设计，不错的音效选择，设定也很有吸引力，前半段叙事甚至一度让我觉得它真的很棒。尤其是[spoiler]“预言其实是在锁死未来”这个反转[/spoiler]，是我认为全篇最有力量的地方。 但也正因为前半段写得很好，后半段糟糕的体验才让我感到无比失望[spoiler]和恶心[/spoiler]。 当然如果你真的真的非常喜欢它的美术、塔罗、女巫设定，或者很吃这种气质，那打折到二十多元时可以考虑尝试打一遍就可以了。但如果你和我一样，更看重一款游戏的剧情完成度和情绪完成度，那我强烈不推荐这款游戏。 尤其任何想要原价购入这款游戏的玩家，我都会完全不推荐！！！

Starts off strong, but the choices you make, ironically, don't feel very impactful. The last third of the game is shocking in its change into a political sim. It was so jarring that it soured the whole experience for me.

Tl;dr: the free demo lets you play the first hour or two of the game and--because the gameplay is pretty straightforward--it gives you a very accurate impression of what this game offers. It'll give you a better impression of the game than the reviews likely will. [b] Overview: [/b] I really enjoyed this game. It is pretty short (my playtime reflects 2 complete playthroughs) but well-paced. The bulk of the gameplay involves you creating your own tarot cards and then using them to read other characters' fates. There is a surprising amount of depth in the card creation mechanics. The game initially gives you an overview of the four elements that you can use to craft cards--air, water, earth, and fire--but there are hidden mechanics that you can learn more about if you take the time to study your academic texts. As a warning: there is a major switch-up to the gameplay toward the end. While most of the game revolves around the fortune-telling mechanic, the game eventually turns into a political sim. You're selecting policy proposals, bolstering your own campaign, and trying to sabotage other candidates. While you can continue to make cards during this period, you cannot actually use them until the final portion of the game. Personally, I enjoyed this switch-up as it kept the gameplay interesting. However, I understand that it might annoy other players who engaged with the game primarily for the unique card-building mechanic. [b] Story: [/b] The story was fine. It never wowed me but it was engaging enough to keep me invested in the game. The characters were varied and decently well-written. There were definitely some awkwardly worded lines that could kill immersion a bit but it wasn't egregious. There isn't any spoken dialogue but each character is written distinctly enough that they all feel as if they have their own voice. [b] Replayability: [/b] I'd say this is moderately replayable. You will definitely learn a lot about how your deck works as you play and therefore might want to start a new run with your new knowledge. However, you do gain the ability to remove and remake cards partway through so you don't actually have to restart to put your new knowledge to use. There are also some "character creation" changes that alter the gameplay slightly. At the beginning of the game you will bargain for certain things. For example, you will be asked if you most desire love, power, or knowledge. Some way into the game, this will reward you with a different skill based upon your choice. These could be powerful but won't dramatically change your experience. Overall, I'd recommend playing the free demo and if you had fun then go ahead and buy the full game (your progress will carry over). I got it on sale but I think the full price is fair if you don't want to wait.

I think this is one of the most unique, varied and interesting games I've had the pleasure of playing, it's relaxing enough I like to leave it open and just enjoy the music, the card creation is very fun, and the gameplay loop is different, it also has a lot of replay value for choices that I can see, and it has been entertaining enough to keep my mind occupied. I really, really am enjoying it and I absolutely hope to see another game similar one day. What a hidden gem!

If you accidentally hit new game and go to load your save there is no warning and your save is gone forever. So I've lost my first four hours. It's a really basic oversight that's disappointing in what has so far been a pretty nice game.

Really wanted to like this game, but experienced a gut-punched interaction and can't bring myself to enjoy the direction the game is going in. Pros: fun art, some playful humor, music, interesting mechanics, creative tarot-building Cons: feels petty/gossipy, disjointed character development, miss-the-mark moments The specific instance that derailed it for me is when, [spoiler] after completing the pact, you finally get visitors. There's a beautiful opportunity to reconnect with your friends, express vulnerability at having been exiled/abandoned, and share raw feelings (during the card-initiated fortune-sharing moment). Instead, despite picking 1 of the 3/3 options depicting HEAVY heartfelt struggles, the main character LIES to their 'friend'- saying some bogus like 'Oh, I guess I can't read my own fortune- I guess the deck is still getting used to me' instead of being real. [/spoiler] Not only is this a misrepresentation of what I just selected (why offer the option if it's not a real option!?), but it also lands as a shallow and disingenuous political exchange trying to save face. Designers trapped the player into a vulnerable-options-only moment and then dashed trust in the same sweep. Also, it's the smallest of annoyances, but please fix the [spoiler] pizza mini game to offer a more thoughtful compromise. Sure, one person is vegan, but we obviously have all the ingredients and so there should be an option to make personal pizzas or something, so everyone gets what they want. [/spoiler] I guess the designers thought it'd be a satisfying gotcha-moment, but it feels like a lazy dig. The game wants you to go on an ego-trip, be spiteful towards your friends, and generally manipulate everyone you talk to. That's just not my idea of fun.

Amazing game