Mr. Yasuhiro Wada made a name building games that let players shape the world from nothing. His latest effort asks for patience. Birthdays the Beginning turns the planet itself into a puzzle box, and solving it takes real thought.
Trailer, via NIS America.
A Cube-Shaped World
Players build worlds out of cubes in Birthdays the Beginning. Each block holds water, air, earth or fire, and the arrangement changes how life grows within it. Temperature, moisture and elevation all matter, and changing one of them changes everything else. It sounds simple on paper. It feels less simple once the cubes start piling up.
The bird’s-eye view means every move shows clearly. That clarity matters when a small change to a mountain slope sends a river flowing in a new direction, carrying nutrients across the land. Players see the cause and the effect at once, which is the whole point of the design.
Life From Nothing
Life appears once the conditions are right. Simple creatures appear first, then grow into more complex forms as the world changes around them. Players don’t control the creatures directly. They set the stage, then watch what happens. That approach rewards curiosity over quick action.
It also means there is no clear goal beyond curiosity itself. The game doesn’t explain what players are meant to do after a creature first appears. It simply hands over the world and lets players keep building.
Experimentation Over Action
There is no set path through Birthdays the Beginning. Players can experiment endlessly, trying a new arrangement of cubes and seeing what results. That freedom is the game’s strongest quality, and also its biggest problem. Without a clear objective, some players may find themselves wandering rather than building.
The game offers no timer, no score screen and no enemy to defeat. There is only the world and the tools to shape it. That purity of intent is rare in a genre full of competing systems. It is also the reason some players walk away feeling lost.
A Small Cast
The game does not need much in the way of characters. There is no main character to follow, no voice acting and no story arc. What exists instead is a quiet sense of wonder at what the cubes can do. That wonder is the game’s true star, and it carries the experience further than any scripted scene could.
The lack of a cast is not a weakness. It is a choice, and a deliberate one. Birthdays the Beginning wants players to focus on the world itself, not on a character’s journey through it.
Where It Falls Short
Not every idea lands. Some systems feel unfinished, with rules that are explained poorly or not at all. Players who want a clear plan for what to do next may leave the game early, frustrated by the lack of direction.
The game also struggles to hold attention over long sessions. Without a clear goal, the novelty of discovery can wear thin. A few hours in, the pleasure of building gives way to repetition.
Happy Birthdays on Switch
Arc System Works later brought the game to the Nintendo Switch, renaming it Happy Birthdays. The version on Switch keeps the same cube-building system and the same bird’s-eye view, though the presentation changes slightly. Players who already own the PS4 or PC version may find little reason to buy the Switch port again.
The port does not add new content, and it does not remove any of the original’s strengths or weaknesses. It simply moves the same game to a new machine.
How Long Does It Last?
Here is a rough breakdown of what players can expect from Birthdays the Beginning:
| Session | Focus |
|---|---|
| First session | Learning the controls and basic rules |
| Second session | Building a simple world |
| Third session | Introducing life and watching it grow |
| Fourth session | Experimenting with temperature and moisture |
| Fifth session | Seeking a deeper understanding of the systems |
That is a rough outline. Actual playthroughs will vary widely depending on how much time a player spends experimenting.
Our View
Birthdays the Beginning succeeds when it stays focused on the building itself. It fails when it asks players to do too much without offering guidance. The core idea is strong enough to support a great deal of play, but the game’s refusal to guide players through its systems leaves some players behind.
This is a game built for curiosity, not for speed. It rewards patience and punishes impatience in equal measure. Players who want to shape a world from nothing and watch life emerge from it will find plenty to enjoy here. Those looking for a clear goal or a fast pace will likely find themselves disappointed.
The game asks a lot of its players. It asks them to think about how temperature affects soil, how moisture shapes terrain, and how small changes ripple outward across an entire world. That thinking is the heart of Birthdays the Beginning, and it is also the part that will lose some players along the way.
For those willing to sit with the puzzles, the payoff is real. Watching a simple creature grow into something more complex is a genuine moment of wonder. The game does not need a cast, a story or a clock to deliver that feeling. It only needs cubes, rules and a patient player.
Birthdays the Beginning is a game about beginnings, and it is at its best when it lets those beginnings unfold slowly. It is a game about curiosity, patience and the quiet joy of watching something grow. It is not a game for everyone, but for those who love building worlds from nothing, it offers a deeply satisfying experience.
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