Review | Game review - Birthdays: The Beginning makes you creator of worlds, but that’s not as thrilling as it sounds
Switching between micro and macro modes allows players to see the glory of nature take shape in Birthdays: The Beginning, but sadly the initial spectacular thrill of evolution doesn’t last
Arc System Works
3.5 stars
Truly epic adventures are often what set video games apart from the other forms of entertainment. Books and movies might jump through millennia over extended montages or varying chapters, but video games can take things even further, such as showing the evolution of life from the smallest molecule.
Birthdays: The Beginning (available for PC and Playstation 4) is one of many that attempt to place life literally in the hands of the gamer. Players are given a small piece of terrain floating in the middle of the universe, with the initial goal being to coax existence out of practically nothing. It all comes down to terraforming – creating colder or warmer climates that allow beings to grow and thrive.
Make the ocean deep enough and the climate heats up, creating the simple species that unsurprisingly never evolve. Throw in a few mountains and things cool down, sparking a slow crawl towards life but one nevertheless resilient in the long run.