The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood offers a magical new take on deck building

polygon.com:

Fate is funny, isn’t it? There’s no certainty — of fate or free will — and yet humans have spent our existence debating deterministic beliefs. Throughout history and culture, in art and literature, we’ve imagined worlds determined by destiny. What is weaving the fabric of one’s life? Or is it that our destinies are made up of the tiny decisions we make each day, a series of fates that change every second we’re alive?

These are the themes that developer Deconstructeam keeps coming back to: In Gods Will Be Watching, it’s the fate of the universe; in The Red Strings Club, it’s the nature of happiness; and now, with The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Deconstructeam contemplates the power of destiny. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a story told through tarot deck building and dialogue. Fortuna is a fortune-telling human turned witch who’s been in exile on an asteroid for 200 years; she foretold the fate of her coven of witches and was punished for the implications. Stuck by herself for two centuries, Fortuna calls in the help of an otherworldly being, forbidden by the coven, to escape. This being, called a Behemoth, gives Fortuna back her magic in the form of a new tarot-like deck, which is built over the course of the game, but for a price — that price is determined by choices made throughout The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.

As Fortuna, I make decisions about her life and what matters to her, all of which impact the game’s trajectory. I quickly learn that Fortuna’s card readings are not just telling the future, but shaping it — and a large part of the story lies in understanding and contemplating that power. It’s an interesting causal relationship between the visions I have of the future and the series of events they create.

The Cosmic