thegamingdiary

[thegamingdiary]

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood changed something inside me

Hi, guys! I'm back with more wholesome adventures from the games I've been playing. Today, I want to talk about a game I played this week called The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.

As some of you may already know, I've been studying witchcraft for some years now, and recently, I've been trying not to stay so hidden anymore. Since I’ve been testing and taking notes on various subjects related to the Art, games that involve magic and similar themes tend to make me skeptical. It's hard for me to suspend my belief in real witchcraft and just enjoy fictional magic. I struggle with that kind of detachment.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood was the first game about witchcraft where I could do just that. Even though it’s fictional—almost sci-fi, to be honest—I noticed that the foundational information felt legit, and it was clear that the developers cared enough to research real witchcraft before creating the game.

Now, about my experience with the game... I've never felt so good and so bad at the same time. Good throughout the journey, but completely devastated when I finished it. I didn’t want it to end; I was having such a great time.

There’s a story from my childhood, when I was about 8, about the first time I fell in love with an anime (I didn’t even know what anime was at the time). It happened when El Hazard: Magnificent World aired on TV. I never missed a single episode, and the story touched me deeply... But one day, the young me was introduced to something cartoons had never shown me before: an ending. I never realized cartoons had endings. I’m not sure why, but maybe in my young, naive mind, I thought new episodes were made eternally, and the story would go on forever.

After El Hazard ended, I went to bed feeling really sad. That same night, I cried so hard that my parents woke up, worried that I had hurt myself or gotten sick. When I finished The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, I felt the same way.

I don’t know when I’ll feel this attached like this to a game again. It’s kind of sad, but beautiful at the same time. I feel like every time I start a new game, I’m waiting to feel that way again. Before this game, the last one that made me feel this way was Coffee Talk.

I won’t go into the gameplay, story, etc., because I don’t want this blog to be a review space. The focus here is how I feel, which is why it’s called "The Gaming Diary," not "The Game Review."

Anyway... games have a strange power over us, don’t they? Maybe they shouldn’t be treated as just products and should be seen as art in their own right. Then again, even art these days ends up becoming a product in the end...

[thegamingdiary]

Hi, guys!

Today, I want to start recording my experiences with the world of video games, a little corner that's always been a part of my life since 1998.

It all began with my first console, a SNES Baby where I played Super Mario Bros. 3 like there was no tomorrow. I still remember the thrill of beating each level (I wasn't really good at it), those cute pixelated visuals...(´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

Over time, my tastes expanded. I fell in love with turn-based RPGs, especially the Japanese ones (I'm a portuguese native speaker and FFIV basically taught me english!). Oh, and of course, strategy games and tactical RPGs have always had a special place in my heart too. Although I play other genres, it's less frequently.

Speaking of which, the last game I finished was The Crush House, and it was a pretty unique experience. I love games that surprise me and break away from the standard of always having combat or violence. Lately, I’ve been seeking out those games they call "cozy games," the ones that warm your heart and help you relax (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ).

In the upcoming entries, I want to share more about my relationship with Japanese games. They've always been my passion, but over time, I started feeling a bit uncomfortable with some things, like the exaggerated sexualization that appears in some titles. Despite that, I’ve been learning to separate my personal views on morality and ethics from the hobby I love so much, though I admit it’s a slow process.

I sincerely thank everyone who made it this far, and I hope you’ll stick around for the next pages of this journey. See you soon, and stay tuned for more adventures in the world of games! (^‿^)