Decoy Octopus
When the first trailer for Darwin’s Paradox dropped, my interest level was low. I had assumed it was one of those ‘wobbly’ controlling games which are just not up my alley. The more I investigated it though, I realized it was actually a puzzle platformer in the same mold as titles like INSIDE and Little Nightmares but starring an octopus and a zany cartoon aesthetic. The premise is the classic fish out of water, or octopus for that matter as our main protagonist must jump, hide, and make their way through plenty of obstacles along the way. It is a quirky and charming adventure that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
The premise behind Darwin’s Paradox is literally what I mentioned earlier. The game kicks off with our hero learning the moves from another octopus before they are thrust out of the water, and onto the land. They then must navigate the world (awkwardly) while avoiding enemies and obstacles to find their way through. What sells it the most is its cartoon design. The game feels plucked out of the Disney vault with its exaggerated characters and whimsical designs.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
The visuals and style are really what sell this game. I loved all the nods to past Konami classics. We all saw the Metal Gear reference in the trailer, and that section is awesome, but there are more including the classic Frogger. It really leans into the cartoon style. None of the characters have voice lines, but the slick visuals do a great job of conveying what the characters are thinking.
The visual design is great. I loved the clean design, and the use of colors is fantastic. Each area feels unique and the little touches such as mud collecting on our protagonist in some areas are great. The sequence in the sewers where I had to cover myself in radioactive goo to keep the rats away is stunning at times. The lighting is incredible and it blends well with the over-design models. This game does an amazing job of looking outstanding using art direction as opposed to overly realistic models.
The core game is mostly based on movement, but our hero does get a few abilities to help. From the beginning we have the camouflage ability, which is essential in the stealth sections. There is also an ink spit move and the ability to create clouds to hide behind during movement. They are limited, and most of the game relies solely on solving physics-based puzzles and platforming, but they do break up the action nicely. The controls are spot on, and I never had an issue controlling our protagonist. There are some sections that I had to bang my head against, insta-fail stealth is never fun, but they are minimal.
What I enjoyed most about Darwin’s Paradox outside of its goofy art style is that it knows what it wants to be and never deviates. The game is exactly what you think it is from the start, and the runtime being around five hours means there is zero padding here. Outside of the couple frustrating sections, I had a blast from start to finish.
Darwin’s Paradox is a quirky puzzle platformer that harkens back to classic games and I loved it. The goofy cartoon art style is its biggest selling point, and the nods to classic Konami games are fun. The price matches the experience, and it is easy to recommend. I had a great time digging through it and we don’t get a ton of these types of games anymore, so it is always great to see a new one.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
