The 3rd Birthday

Did You Know?

• The music was composed by Mitsuto Suzuki and Tsuyoshi Sekito, with additional work by original Parasite Eve composer Yoko Shimomura.
• Shimomura was involved from an early stage when the game was still a mobile title.
• Sekito was mostly involved with choosing and helping with instrumentation, particularly whether to include symphonic music.

Plot

On Christmas Eve 2012, monstrous Babels appear in New York City, spawning Twisted that consume humans. By 2013, the CTI (Counter Twisted Investigation) has formed. Aya Brea, found outside St. Thomson's Cathedral in 2010 with amnesia and a changed personality, is taken in by CTI chief Dr. Hyde Bohr. The CTI discovers Aya can transfer her soul across time, an ability called Overdive. Bohr develops the Overdive System to send Aya into the past to change events. On missions, Aya faces High Ones, sentient Twisted from corrupted humans, including Kyle Madigan, a man she loved in Parasite Eve II. Defeating High Ones restores her memories, including her engagement to Kyle and her adopted sister Eve Brea. After the Kyle High One destroys the CTI HQ and Overdive device, Aya reunites with Kunihiko Maeda, who helped her in Parasite Eve. Aya learns Bohr is a High One who orchestrated the deaths of other High Ones to form the Grand Babel, a giant Overdive system. Bohr aims to dive to Time Zero to ensure his species' survival from a time war cycle. Aya battles Bohr and is pulled into Time Zero, where she discovers the truth.

Development

Concepts for a third Parasite Eve game had existed for some time. After finishing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Tetsuya Nomura wanted to create a new game for Aya Brea. The team aimed to use advancing technology to create a mature experience re-introducing Aya. Main staff included director Hajime Tabata, producer Yoshinori Kitase, creative producer and character designer Nomura, art director Isamu Kamikokuryo, scenario director Motomu Toriyama, and main writer Toshimitsu Takeuchi. Nomura requested Tabata due to their previous collaboration. The 3rd Birthday was announced in May 2007 as an episodic mobile game for Japan's FOMA service. In 2008, it was changed to a PlayStation Portable exclusive, as the desired realism was not possible on mobile phones. Tabata wanted full use of the PSP's hardware. The team worked on The 3rd Birthday alongside Final Fantasy Type-0; Square Enix asked Tabata to focus on The 3rd Birthday, nearly cancelling Type-0.

Reception

During production, Nomura and Tabata aimed to sell 500,000 copies. In its first week, The 3rd Birthday debuted at #6 in Japanese charts, selling 140,000 units. By end of 2011, it sold 353,747 units in Japan. It reached #1 for PSP games in North America by early April 2011, then fell to #3, remaining there into June. In the UK, it reached #3. Famitsu praised the gameplay, calling Aya deeply customizable and the Overdive system exhilarating, noting repeated playthroughs for those undaunted by high difficulty. Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com called it an interesting blend of RPG and shooter, praising Overdive. Kristan Reed of Eurogamer found conflicts relentless and repetitive, with off-putting difficulty and unsuitable movement speed. Game Informer's Annette Gonzalez liked the controls but cited camera difficulties. Carolyn Petit of GameSpot noted some tension but frustrating battles and camera issues. IGN's Patrick Kolan praised the effort, battle, and later levels despite repetition. Emily Gera of VideoGamer.com found basic shooting repetitive but saved by Overdive and fight quality. Parish called the game gorgeous with an exceptional soundtrack. Petit praised CGI cutscenes and varied environments, and the score shifting between haunting and thrilling. Kolan called it one of the best-looking PSP games, praising the soundtrack despite being a little ho-hum. Gonzalez praised cutscenes but found environments ranging from detailed to drab.