Darwin’s Paradox! Review: A Short Odyssey That Shouldn’t Be Missed (PS5)

For years, the video game industry has continued to advance in quality, offering revolutionary and unique experiences. One of the best types of games to portray this is with platformers, especially if said platformer has you play as an octopus. Thus, we enter the wonderfully chaotic world of Darwin’s Paradox! It’s a short but sweet adventure that holds a lot of charm, featuring fun gameplay mechanics, terrific levels, and it’s not a rage-inducing experience like many platformers can be. 

Darwin’s Paradox! is available now on PC, PS5, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S for $24.99/£19.99. 

Here are some other recent reviews:

1. Super Meat Boy 3D – Review: A Bold Evolution That Struggles With Precision (PC)
2. Project Songbird Review – A Psychological Horror Experience With Artistic Depth (PC)
3. Death Howl Review: Dark Souls But Deckbuilding, It Kinda Works (PS5)

Story – An Explosive Animated Adventure

This colourful tale stars a charming octopus named Darwin as he’s thrust into a grand adventure involving a sinister food corporation. After Darwin and his companion were abducted by aliens, Darwin awakens in a junkyard, separated but not alone. He’s hunted by a horde of rats, which, after some manoeuvring, leads Darwin to the UFOOD factory. From then on, Darwin explores numerous environments, dealing with many dangers while stumbling upon plans for world domination. Can he escape from the clutches of alien invaders and reunite with his friend before all is lost?

Darwin and company abducted by aliens

The plot for Darwin’s Paradox! isn’t anything special, but it’s an enjoyable short story that constantly escalates. From the areas you visit to the enemies and obstacles you face, Darwin’s Paradox! doesn’t shy away from providing a blockbuster animated experience. Alongside your adventure there’s also a handful of collectables to find that can give you more details on the story. There aren’t many characters in the game, but the ones they have are fine. Darwin is a cute octopus who, without trying, commits many acts of devastation. Other than Sammy the Seagle, the Wily Coyote of this story, there are not really any other noticeable characters. The aliens themselves are quirky and fun to look at, but that’s about it. 

UFOOD, those first three letters look suspicious

My only thought on the story is the choice of how the game informs players on what abilities Darwin should use to progress through a specific part of the game. It’s done through flashbacks, which would usually be fine; however, the first level of the game already does this. Considering how the second level begins, I think the first level was unnecessary for a tutorial level, since the flashbacks cover everything, making it redundant. Plus, the flashbacks feel more genuine and add to the relationship between the two octopuses. 

Gameplay

Darwin’s Paradox! is a platformer first and a puzzle game second. It uses the concept of the character to its full advantage. You’ll walk on walls with the help of Darwin’s suckers, spit out ink to hide and get past obstacles, and you can camouflage to fit your environment. These skills were fun to use and very helpful when dealing with the many obstacles you’ll come across. Most levels contain platforming obstacles mixed with a little puzzle solving, while sometimes avoiding enemies like the death from above that is Steven the Seagle. I do wish we got a few more chase sequences and a few more enemy variants. 

Navigate through unique levels with not-so-simple solutions

The puzzles in Darwin’s Paradox! are a good mix of difficulty, since most can easily be solved. There was one near the end that I enjoyed quite a bit that involved body swapping and going through tubes. Would love more crazy puzzles in a sequel. Now, if some puzzles do feel too difficult for you, the game offers a help button that will give you a hint to help. Luckily, you can turn this off since it’s automatically turned on. There are also some skins to unlock through completing specific requirements. 

Can you escape from an alien compound as a little octopus?

My only issue with the gameplay was that the wall climbing can be a tad annoying at times. You could be trying to navigate through a map or through obstacles that are time sensitive, and Darwin will just stick to something you don’t want to stick to. This happened a lot in a section involving heated pipes that would change which pipes are not safe to be on. I’d try to jump off the not-so-safe pipe, but due to the shape, Darwin automatically sticks right back to it. 

The sticking mechanic was quite frustrating during this level

Graphics & Audio

The one thing that grabbed me the most about Darwin’s Paradox!, was its beautiful visuals. It truly was a cinematic adventure that, as it says on the store page, is “a grand adventure worthy of an animated movie”. Each environment is unique and has such an eye-catching design that will have you stopping to appreciate it. My favourites have been mostly the levels near the latter parts of the game, such as the underwater alien base, which also features a kung-fu training dojo and a total wipeout course. Darwin’s Paradox also contained unlockable skins, in which I managed to obtain a Solid Snake tribute, which was very nice. 

Regarding audio, there’s not much to tell. There’s not much voice acting other than a brief narration at the start and some alien characters making alien noises. The soundtrack wasn’t anything that stuck with me; however, I did recall a track that would play when moving that resembled three blind mice. I liked that it connects with the gameplay, imitating the keys of a piano with each step.  

Darwin’s Paradox! was reviewed on PS5 courtesy of a code from Swiperight.