Happy Birthdays Reviews

Happy Birthdays is ranked in the 37th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
May 30, 2018

This game's predecessor was remarkable. This game itself is a remarkable evolution of that original vision.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 23, 2018

From the legendary creator Mr. Yasuhiro Wada (TOYBOX Inc.), comes Happy Birthdays: a 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!

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8.4 / 10.0
May 29, 2018

Simply put: Happy Birthdays is an oyster of joy. Seeing images or trailers of this game does not do it justice. One may think it's a mere child's game just from the cover, but it's suitable for all ages and the surprising amount of depth can only be experienced personally. This might be a sleeper hit, but it deserves more recognition. Yasuhiro Wada along the help of his development teams created another clever and fantastic jewel of a game. If terrain editing, creating a living ecosystem and collecting is up your alley then don't overlook Happy Birthdays.

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8 / 10
Jul 27, 2018

Happy Birthdays is a very colorful and highly addictive game in which you can experience a condensed version of the evolutionary process that has gotten us to this point in history – you know, minus the dragons and other mythical creatures. Having played the PlayStation 4 version for review, and after playing this new and revised version for the Nintendo Switch, I'm happy to report that it feels and plays great when playing at home or in Portable or Tabletop mode. This is a game that, in my opinion, is definitely worth a double dip, especially since you now get to enjoy it everywhere and at any time.

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8 / 10
May 28, 2018

When I first loaded the game, I thought that it was going to be very childish and mediocre… but I was wrong. The art style is very colourful, unique, and has a hint of Minecraft to its worlds. Though simple and fun, the game allows for the player to create worlds that can inhabit different organisms. All it takes is the right temperature and moisture levels for life to blossom. It’s in-depth look at the evolution of the world is its big selling point, even taking into consideration the food chain and how if a predator hasn’t got enough prey it will become extinct.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 27, 2018

Happy Birthdays won't appeal to people looking for a linear story, but has endless possibilities to create, explore and experiment with worlds of entirely your own creation.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jul 18, 2018

If you enjoy the god sim/sandbox genres you will be in for a treat with this title. Graphically, the game is adorable with some really lovely character models and landscapes but this game is so much more than cute dinosaurs and sweet looking lizards! Underneath it all is a surprisingly fun and addictive game with a huge amount of depth and replayability. A must have game for fans of the genre.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 17, 2018

Now available on Nintendo Switch, Happy Birthdays is an interesting god game that brings a bit of revival to the genre. The new console edition has a number of improvements that make it easier and more accessible than the original title and will be perfect educational game for a family.

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7.3 / 10.0
Jun 6, 2018

If you're looking for a relaxing and cute experience where you can watch a world evolve in front of you then Happy Birthdays is definitely a game to add to your want list.

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GameSpace
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
May 23, 2018

Happy Birthday's takes a simple idea, decorates itself with some adorable aesthetics, and somehow manages to weaves together a multitude of different genres. It is an enigmatic experience that can't be categorized, and that is its appeal. If you want something different then this is definitely for you.

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Renan Fontes
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jun 23, 2018

Slow, methodical, and deliberate, Happy Birthdays is at times frustrating, but only because it's genuinely engaging premise demands an attention to detail and level of care. Its biggest fault is that much of the experience occurs at the player rather than with the player. With that said, watching evolution occur on a grand scale through one simple action is an impressive and exciting feat. Cubes do require interaction to keep evolution moving smoothly, as well, so it isn't as if everything can be auto-played, just that more interactivity would have benefitted the game overall. At its core, Happy Birthdays is a creation simulator and one that won't resonate with everyone, but those who do end up jiving with the title will certainly find something worthwhile to take away.

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7 / 10.0
May 30, 2018

Happy Birthdays is a neat sort of simulation God game where you terraform land to help control the world's temperature, moisture, and more. Watching life grow and flourish based on your actions is peaceful and discovering new creations that evolve over time is fun. It makes a great game anyone could pick up and enjoy, and it's easy to find that you've lost several hours to it quickly.

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7 / 10.0
May 31, 2018

Happy Birthdays is a relaxing game with charming graphics and sound. Players should expect some difficulty understanding how to play the game. Dedicated players will find satisfaction in bringing new plants and animals to life.

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6 / 10
Jun 4, 2018

The saccharine visuals and bold colours will easily attract the eye and when new species appear you'll be begging for a photo mode. But that's only if you aren't looking at the endless lists or stats, or charging the ever-depleting energy banks. Interesting, educational and pretty, but ultimately soulless and a little boring.

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6 / 10.0
Jun 18, 2018

Zooming in on your world and seeing little cities sprouting up with modern humans somehow managing to coexist alongside dinosaurs is certainly charming. It is not that Happy Birthdays is a bad game as its premise is certainly interesting. Unfortunately it is ultimately too shallow, an experience that requires little intervention from the player. If you can entertain yourself the monotony of raising and lowering land to perfectly facilitate your perfect breed of mouse, then perhaps you'll find something to enjoy in Happy Birthdays.

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6 / 10.0
Jun 5, 2018

In the end there are some positives to be taken from Happy Birthdays but you really need to be in love with the concept and the core gameplay enough to dedicate yourself to getting over the hurdles it generally throws in its own way. In many ways the game feels unrefined and not quite fully-realized, more of a hodge podge of ideas thrown together and put on a shelf. Truthfully this does put it firmly with many other efforts in this genre, high-concept games that collapse a bit under their own ambition. While there’s enough here to be worthwhile it’s absolutely not going to be something just anyone will be compelled to thrown a ton of hours into.

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3 / 5.0
Jun 20, 2018

Happy Birthdays is a laid-back experience that one can certainly lose hours to simply through micro-managing their vibrant Cube. However, with a barebones narrative and repetitive gameplay, it leaves much to be desired, including the urge to keep coming back over time. Indeed, this may be one celebration that is okay to miss.

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Digiato
Seyed Sina Mostafavi
Top Critic
55 / 100
Aug 5, 2018

From the creator of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, Happy Birthdays is an environmental managing game which lets you control temperature and humidity by making changes in the surface of your playground in a cube-like world. It is creative and highly detailed but not what we expected.

Review in Persian | Read full review

Jun 12, 2018

Happy Birthdays is out now on Nintendo Switch. Thank you to NIS America For kindly supplying the review code for this game.

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