[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fn9hzYj_Dx2gToB3dSNmCoyrq1GZNZNzeG5d5tF5BfGs":3},{"game":4,"reviews":21},{"id":5,"name":6,"summary":7,"cover_image":8,"header_image":9,"release_date":10,"created_at":11,"updated_at":12,"igdb_id":13,"slug":14,"is_published":15,"trailer_url":16,"category":17,"avg_score":18,"steam_app_id":19,"merged_into_game_id":20},11348,"Birthdays the Beginning","\"From the legendary creator, Mr. Yasuhiro Wada (TOYBOX Inc.), comes Birthdays the Beginning: a new sandbox game in which players create cube-shaped worlds that give rise to diverse and unique lifeforms. With careful experimentation, players can shape the geography and alter the temperature of each world to create the conditions for life and witness the birth of an entire ecosystem!\"","11348\u002Fco22yz_webp.webp","11348\u002Frwizpgsg8ckxx8obhdha_webp.webp","2017-01-19","2024-09-13T15:51:36.535779-04:00","2026-09-05T16:02:02.204422-04:00",26611,"birthdays-the-beginning",true,"https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002FYvTKjO_pBao",0,60.5,525700,null,[22,52,78,104,130,154,173,196,221,247],{"id":23,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":24,"author":25,"original_score":31,"normalized_score":17,"review_url":32,"review_date":33,"summary":34,"created_at":35,"updated_at":35,"author_id":26,"last_edited_at":35,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":37},103512,140,{"id":26,"bio":20,"name":27,"avg_score":20,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":28,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":29,"claim_token":20,"article_count":30,"claimed_by_user_id":20},9043,"Dylan Fewings","2025-03-25T20:56:10.590062-04:00","2025-03-26T05:42:05.688793-04:00",11,"Unscored","https:\u002F\u002Fcheckpointgaming.net\u002Freviews\u002F2017\u002F06\u002Fbirthdays-the-beginning-review\u002F","2017-06-18","Do you remember when Spore came out? Months of hype  followed by a resounding, world-wide “meh”.  God games have a tendency to seem really good in the premise, but are found to be really lacking in the execution.  Some can break the mold and be enjoyable however (see any Sim City game pre-2012). Unfortunately, Birthdays the Beginning falls into the former.","2025-03-25T20:56:15.418428-04:00",false,{"id":24,"logo":38,"name":39,"slug":40,"tags":20,"bluesky":20,"twitter":41,"youtube":20,"facebook":42,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":44,"website_url":45,"score_format":46,"average_score":47,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":50,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":51,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fcheckpoint-gaming.jpg","Checkpoint Gaming","checkpoint-gaming","checkpointAU","checkpoint.joy949","en","Join us every Saturday 2PM on JOY94.9 for all the latest news, reviews & more in the gaming world!","https:\u002F\u002Fcheckpointgaming.net\u002F","10",74,"UTC","2025-07-04T09:28:49.429906","Melbourne","Australia",{"id":53,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":54,"author":55,"original_score":62,"normalized_score":63,"review_url":64,"review_date":65,"summary":66,"created_at":60,"updated_at":60,"author_id":56,"last_edited_at":60,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":67},89257,44,{"id":56,"bio":20,"name":57,"avg_score":58,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":59,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":60,"claim_token":20,"article_count":61,"claimed_by_user_id":20},6553,"Andrea Kasparian",68,"2025-02-12T20:21:47.00955-05:00","2025-03-04T13:09:06.72781-05:00",5,"5",50,"https:\u002F\u002Frpgsite.net\u002Freview\u002F5567-birthdays-the-beginning-review","2017-05-22","Birthdays is a fantastic idea on paper, but suffers from some very poor execution that hinders the overall experience.",{"id":54,"logo":68,"name":69,"slug":70,"tags":71,"bluesky":72,"twitter":70,"youtube":73,"facebook":74,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":75,"website_url":76,"score_format":46,"average_score":77,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":20,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FRPGSite%20Logo.jpg","RPGSite","rpgsite","[  \n  'independent',\n  'online_media',\n  'ingestion_pending'\n  ]","rpgsite.net","rpgsitenet","RPGSite.net","We love role playing video games, so we report on them all day every day. Expect critique, news, reviews, guides, trivia & more!","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rpgsite.net\u002F",76,{"id":79,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":80,"author":81,"original_score":88,"normalized_score":63,"review_url":89,"review_date":90,"summary":91,"created_at":92,"updated_at":92,"author_id":82,"last_edited_at":93,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":94},27411,28,{"id":82,"bio":20,"name":83,"avg_score":84,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":85,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":86,"claim_token":20,"article_count":87,"claimed_by_user_id":20},2850,"Heidi Kemps",71.09836065573771,"2024-12-04T10:25:31.447348-05:00","2025-10-29T13:08:55.825727-04:00",61,"5.0","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespot.com\u002Freviews\u002Fbirthdays-the-beginning-review\u002F1900-6416685\u002F","2017-05-19","Birthday blues.","2024-12-04T13:52:17.403862-05:00","2024-12-29T20:20:33.816897-05:00",{"id":80,"logo":95,"name":96,"slug":97,"tags":98,"bluesky":99,"twitter":96,"youtube":97,"facebook":96,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":100,"website_url":101,"score_format":46,"average_score":102,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":20,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":103,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSpot-Logo.jpg","GameSpot","gamespot","[  \n  'corporate_owned',\n  'online_media'\n  ]","gamespot.com","GameSpot is the world's leading source for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS Vita, Wii, PC, 3DS, and DS video game news, reviews, previews, trailers, walkthroughs, and more.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespot.com",71,"thussain@fandom.com",{"id":105,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":106,"author":107,"original_score":114,"normalized_score":47,"review_url":115,"review_date":116,"summary":117,"created_at":112,"updated_at":112,"author_id":108,"last_edited_at":112,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":118},139646,146,{"id":108,"bio":20,"name":109,"avg_score":110,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":111,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":112,"claim_token":20,"article_count":113,"claimed_by_user_id":20},11533,"Matthew Smail",78.66666666666667,"2025-04-30T07:39:43.369595-04:00","2025-04-30T08:11:47.749116-04:00",6,"7.4","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.keengamer.com\u002Farticles\u002Freviews\u002Fbirthdays-the-beginning-review-ps4\u002F","2017-05-14","Raise mountains! Cleave seas from the barren earth! Cultivate dinosaurs and woolly mammoths! Birthdays The Beginning lets you play God like no other game has since Populous, but is it any good? Find out more in our review.",{"id":106,"logo":119,"name":120,"slug":121,"tags":20,"bluesky":122,"twitter":123,"youtube":124,"facebook":121,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":125,"website_url":126,"score_format":46,"average_score":127,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":128,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":129,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fkeengamer-logo.png","KeenGamer","keengamer","@keengamer.com","KeenGamerCom","@KeenGamerCom","KeenGamer is your favorite place to read everything not just about video games.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.keengamer.com\u002F",78,"Ostrava","Czech Republic",{"id":131,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":87,"author":132,"original_score":139,"normalized_score":140,"review_url":141,"review_date":142,"summary":143,"created_at":144,"updated_at":144,"author_id":133,"last_edited_at":144,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":145},61312,{"id":133,"bio":20,"name":134,"avg_score":135,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":136,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":137,"claim_token":20,"article_count":138,"claimed_by_user_id":20},4961,"GameCentral",68.47252747252747,"2025-01-26T16:02:55.860502-05:00","2026-09-07T14:58:43.392-04:00",549,"6",60,"https:\u002F\u002Fmetro.co.uk\u002F2017\u002F05\u002F10\u002Fbirthdays-the-beginning-review-harvest-earth-6626854\u002F","2017-05-10","Despite the many obvious flaws there’s a mesmerising quality to the game’s artificial worlds, as the gameplay itself creates a surprisingly palatable form of edutainment.","2025-01-26T16:32:41.42166-05:00",{"id":87,"logo":146,"name":147,"slug":148,"tags":98,"bluesky":20,"twitter":134,"youtube":149,"facebook":150,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":151,"website_url":152,"score_format":46,"average_score":153,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":20,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameCentral-Logo.jpg","Metro GameCentral","metro-gamecentral","@GameCentralMetro","GamecentralMetro","The home of Metro's gaming news, features and reviews!","https:\u002F\u002Fmetro.co.uk\u002Fentertainment\u002Fgaming\u002F",69,{"id":155,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":156,"author":157,"original_score":20,"normalized_score":20,"review_url":162,"review_date":142,"summary":163,"created_at":164,"updated_at":164,"author_id":158,"last_edited_at":93,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":165},32248,36,{"id":158,"bio":20,"name":159,"avg_score":20,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":160,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":161,"claim_token":20,"article_count":61,"claimed_by_user_id":20},3410,"Whitney Reynolds","2024-12-06T18:06:01.098983-05:00","2024-12-06T18:12:07.073104-05:00","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F2017\u002F5\u002F10\u002F15615618\u002Fbirthdays-the-beginning-review","In the end, that’s maybe the biggest problem with Birthdays the Beginning: It often feels more like a thing to do rather than a game to play. While I loved the cute aesthetic and simplicity of its mechanics, the game gave way to tediousness and dullness far too often for such grand subject matter. It felt nice slipping into grade school nostalgia for a few hours, but I’m not in fourth grade anymore. A thing to do isn’t enough anymore.","2024-12-06T18:09:15.850118-05:00",{"id":156,"logo":166,"name":167,"slug":168,"tags":98,"bluesky":169,"twitter":168,"youtube":168,"facebook":168,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":170,"website_url":171,"score_format":172,"average_score":20,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":20,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpolygon-logo.png","Polygon","polygon","polygon.com","Covering video games, entertainment, and the culture around them. We find, share, and investigate the things you love and the people who make and enjoy them.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F","unscored",{"id":174,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":175,"author":176,"original_score":182,"normalized_score":63,"review_url":183,"review_date":184,"summary":185,"created_at":186,"updated_at":186,"author_id":177,"last_edited_at":93,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":187},19201,13,{"id":177,"bio":20,"name":178,"avg_score":179,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":180,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":181,"claim_token":20,"article_count":54,"claimed_by_user_id":20},2062,"Azario Lopez",76.20454545454545,"2024-12-02T11:21:21.893957-05:00","2026-09-10T21:31:41.571137-04:00","5.0\u002F10","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dualshockers.com\u002Fbirthdays-the-beginning-review\u002F","2017-05-05","Birthdays the Beginning begs to be enjoyed by a particular gamer, which could hold it back from non-simulation fans to give it a try. I would have enjoyed more interaction between me and my organisms, but the game draws the line of interaction with the world to merely altering the land. With that said, the systems introduced in the game work well for a game that is supposed to the \"beginning\" of a much larger idea. I'm excited to see where the series goes moving forward as well as the incredible environments that are sure to come from the community.","2024-12-02T11:39:36.797705-05:00",{"id":175,"logo":188,"name":189,"slug":190,"tags":191,"bluesky":192,"twitter":189,"youtube":193,"facebook":189,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":20,"website_url":194,"score_format":46,"average_score":77,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":20,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":195,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDualshockers-logo.jpg","DualShockers","dualshockers","[  \n  'corporate_owned',\n  'online_media',\n  'ingestion_pending'\n  ]","dualshockers.bsky.social","Dualshockers","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dualshockers.com"," editorial@dualshockers.com",{"id":197,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":198,"author":199,"original_score":206,"normalized_score":207,"review_url":208,"review_date":184,"summary":209,"created_at":210,"updated_at":210,"author_id":200,"last_edited_at":210,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":211},67530,10,{"id":200,"bio":20,"name":201,"avg_score":202,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":203,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":204,"claim_token":20,"article_count":205,"claimed_by_user_id":20},1479,"Jordan Devore",76.1574074074074,"2024-11-28T10:43:46.962363-05:00","2025-01-29T08:28:16.72411-05:00",108,"\n\t\t\t8\t\t",80,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.destructoid.com\u002Freviews\u002Freview-birthdays-the-beginning\u002F","Even though certain design elements aren’t as streamlined, fleshed-out, or user-friendly as they could have been, part of me is just thankful Birthdays even got greenlit. Niche as it might be, I’ve wanted something like this for years, and despite my admittedly high expectations, I still came away impressed. I hope the game is able to find an audience, because it so clearly deserves one.","2025-01-29T08:04:34.706761-05:00",{"id":198,"logo":212,"name":213,"slug":214,"tags":215,"bluesky":216,"twitter":214,"youtube":217,"facebook":213,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":218,"website_url":219,"score_format":46,"average_score":47,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":20,"reviews_editor_email":220,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDestructoid-Logo.png","Destructoid","destructoid","[  \n  'corporate_owned',\n  'inactive',\n  'online_media'\n  ]","destructoid.bsky.social","@DTOID","Destructoid is a Webby Award-winning video game-focused blog that was founded in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzales.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.destructoid.com","chriscarter@destructoid.com",{"id":222,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":223,"author":224,"original_score":231,"normalized_score":63,"review_url":232,"review_date":184,"summary":233,"created_at":234,"updated_at":234,"author_id":225,"last_edited_at":234,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":235},104354,141,{"id":225,"bio":20,"name":226,"avg_score":227,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":228,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":229,"claim_token":20,"article_count":230,"claimed_by_user_id":20},9102,"Jeff Cork",75.54347826086956,"2025-03-26T08:05:22.244542-04:00","2025-03-26T08:20:49.635563-04:00",46,"5.00\u002F10","http:\u002F\u002Fwww.gameinformer.com\u002Fgames\u002Fbirthdays_the_beginning\u002Fb\u002Fplaystation4\u002Farchive\u002F2017\u002F05\u002F05\u002Fa-dried-up-time-lapse-terrarium.aspx","Birthdays the Beginning is the brainchild of Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada, but it has little in common with the laid-back farming simulations. Instead of finding your own place in a community and reviving an ailing farm, your ambitions are far grander: raising mountains and filling oceans, while guiding the shape of life in a fledgling ecosystem. Rather than worrying about who to romance, your concerns include the extinction of entire lifeforms. While the stakes may seem high, Birthday’s fussy moment-to-moment interactions are an evolutionary step backward.","2025-03-26T08:12:02.170139-04:00",{"id":223,"logo":236,"name":237,"slug":238,"tags":20,"bluesky":20,"twitter":239,"youtube":240,"facebook":241,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":242,"website_url":243,"score_format":46,"average_score":244,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":245,"news_editor_email":20,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":246,"reviews_editor_email":20,"editor_in_chief_email":20,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fgameinformer.jpg","Game Informer","gameinformer","GameInformer","@gameinformer","officialgameinformer","Over 30 years celebrating the best of games in print and online.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gameinformer.com\u002F",79,"Minneapolis","United States",{"id":248,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":249,"author":250,"original_score":257,"normalized_score":258,"review_url":259,"review_date":184,"summary":260,"created_at":261,"updated_at":261,"author_id":251,"last_edited_at":261,"original_summary":20,"source_language":20,"is_translated":36,"outlet":262},64104,27,{"id":251,"bio":20,"name":252,"avg_score":253,"outlet_id":20,"created_at":254,"profile_id":20,"updated_at":255,"claim_token":20,"article_count":256,"claimed_by_user_id":20},2812,"David Brooks",68.125,"2024-12-04T09:01:51.98147-05:00","2025-01-27T05:47:10.324625-05:00",16,"7\u002F10",70,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespew.com\u002F2017\u002F05\u002Fbirthdays-beginning-review\u002F","I’m tempted to describe the entirety of Birthdays the Beginning as ‘bittersweet’, actually; it’s equal parts massively addictive yet horrendously frustrating, but it somehow manages to always provide an enjoyable challenge. Despite the exasperation that comes with seeing a species become extinct, the game never feels impossible, and when you do reach your goals it’s pretty satisfying. It’s just a shame several minor issues hold it back from being more than just “good”. Whether it’s trying to find a lost save, figuring out an unclear objective or to getting to grips with the controls, it feels like there’s always something standing in the way of your enjoyment. Sure, I had fun evolving hundreds of species of plants and animals, but having to play the same sections over and over became tiresome. Still, for its mid price point, there’s a lot to enjoy thanks to its unique concept. If you’re heavily into sims or enjoy games that try new things, Birthdays the Beginning is worthy of your attention.","2025-01-27T05:07:20.801566-05:00",{"id":249,"logo":263,"name":264,"slug":265,"tags":266,"bluesky":267,"twitter":265,"youtube":268,"facebook":269,"language":43,"mastodon":20,"muckrack":20,"claimed_at":20,"description":270,"website_url":271,"score_format":46,"average_score":272,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":20,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":20,"news_editor_email":273,"platforms_covered":20,"claimed_by_user_id":20,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":274,"reviews_editor_email":273,"editor_in_chief_email":273,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSpew-Logo.jpg","GameSpew","gamespew","[  \n  'independent',\n  'women_led',\n  'online_media'\n  ]","gamespew.com","UChqYxsfGxsXwrZ76wm7_bWQ","officialgamespew","Your independent site for gaming news, reviews, features, guides and more. For gamers, by gamers.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespew.com",75,"hello@gamespew.com","United Kingdom"]