Darwin's Paradox! Review: The Best Pixar-Like Platformer We've Ever Gotten

Ask any fan of the classic mascot platformer, and we'll tell you that we just don't get enough games in the genre anymore. That's why whenever we do, it feels like a special moment, as if we're temporarily drawn back to a world where things were simpler, and all we really had to worry about was getting to the next checkpoint in our latest adventure.

Darwin's Paradox!, published by Konami and developed by ZDT Studio, is the latest of those rare titles that have the power to take you back. In a lot of ways, it feels like the best PS1-era character platformer ever made. That's a bold statement, but it'll take you about 30 seconds to load this one up and see what I mean.

It's a quick experience that will probably only take you five or six hours to work through, but one that will have your tentacles waving with joy as you work through each and every lovely chapter of the game. Allow me to introduce you to my new buddy Darwin as he embarks on what I already hope is a new franchise we'll end up getting much more of someday.

A Well-Realized, Beautiful World to Explore

Darwin's Paradox! is an absolutely lovely looking game, and I enjoyed every second of swimming and slinking around its worlds and biomes that are jam-packed with charm, beauty, and style throughout. I know it's a bit of a game reviewer trope to say, "This game feels like a Pixar movie," but... this game feels like a Pixar movie.

In fact, I'd be shocked if it weren't directly inspired by some Pixar films as well. The Finding Nemo comparison is obvious, and it winds up applying in many ways throughout the journey. In addition to that, however, there were certain sections and details that reminded me of everything from WALL-E, The Incredibles, and Monsters Inc. alike.

There are also details, like the soundtrack and text design, that trigger memories of Fallout or BioShock. The 2.5D side-scrolling movement and puzzle solving feels most akin to a Limbo or Inside. There are references to Metal Gear Solid and Frogger, other classic Konami titles. If you're like me, you'll start adding all these things together and quickly realize it's a bit of an amalgamation of dozens of incredible IP.

That said, it also never feels like a rip-off of anything. Darwin's Paradox! has created its own world that is so loaded with detail and life, that I really struggle to think of many contemporaries that have done it better. The end result is a truly gorgeous game that is clearly inspired while also feeling wholly original, and that's a very impressive thing.

The world and presentation of Darwin's Paradox! is the best thing about the game, but that shouldn't be taken as a knock against anything else we'll get into in this review later. It really is just that good in this regard.

Sneaking around factories and offices or outrunning angler fish and seagulls are one thing, but the fact that it's all back-dropped with such expert-level design and set-dressing really makes Darwin a standout among other entries in the genre.

Ideas as Smart as their Inspiration

Thankfully, the good ideas didn't just stop with the presentation team. As an octopus, Darwin is extremely smart, and this idea is reflected wonderfully by every new and relevant gameplay mechanic that ZDT Studio worked into the game as well.

You'll use Darwin's camouflage to blend into a surface and outsmart a guard. You'll spread ink in the water to hide from giant moray eels. You'll suction to every surface, slingshot across gaps, and attach to objects in order to drag them strategically to solve some light, but rewarding puzzles.

It's all brilliant, and it's also all doled out in a way that each new idea never really wears out its welcome. The way each new chapter introduces some variation of a mechanic in order to keep everything feeling fresh as you get from Point A to Point B makes Darwin's Paradox! feel much more interesting than many other side-scrollers of this type.

What's best is the number of "Aha!" moments all of this leads to throughout. Darwin's Paradox! is not a particularly tough brain-teaser, but it's just enough to make you think for a bit, then say, "Ohhhhhh!" out loud when what you need to do becomes apparent, either after some light trial and error or by searching the area for very well-placed environmental clues.

There's also a really smart help system within the game, which will show you a hint for your current area with the touch of a button if you're feeling a bit stuck. This is perfectly implemented, and takes away the cringe of a protagonist randomly blurting things out like, "Hmm, I wonder if I can reach that box." Darwin doesn't speak anyway, but the point still stands that this is how games should handle their clues.

By the end, Darwin feels like one of the most well-realized and represented mascot characters in the history of the genre.

By Land and Sea

All of these ideas and mechanics are great, but you're still probably wondering how the platforming in Darwin's Paradox! actually feels and works too. Good news, it's also great. As an octopus, Darwin can stick to every surface, which makes traversing levels immediately interesting in ways that other games aren't able to experiment with.

You can climb up walls, ceilings, and pretty much everything else, which feels awesome, and adds a sort of depth and design to Darwin's Paradox! that many other games don't really have to consider. A seemingly unreachable ledge now comes into play when you remember that you can climb up a pipe on the ceiling to reach it.

It's all so creative and impressively intuitive that I can't believe no one has thought of it before in these same ways. A side-scrolling platformer with an octopus is a blast to control, and also feels incredibly natural despite the novelty of it all. It's also probably the new benchmark for water levels in a platformer. Typically dreaded by most gamers, Darwin's motion and mechanics while below the surface make the game a joy whether on land or sea.

As a creature that can blend into its surroundings and create diversions, there is also a lot of stealth in Darwin's Paradox!. None of it is ever too complex, but typically is still super fun and smart as you hide in plain sight and conquer multiple timing-based sections to sneak beyond all types of hostile guards and creatures alike.

There are also occasional spikes in platforming difficulty, but nothing is ever insurmountable, and ultimately boils down to an experience that should be approachable for gamers of most ages, and engaging for all. If you do die (in hilarious cartoony fashion) in Darwin's Paradox!, I will say that there are multiple checkpoints that feel a bit too punishing in how far back they place you. This seems to be a little at odds with the rest of the game's vibe.

However, from a gameplay perspective, that's really the only negative I have about the entire experience. Start to finish, this game is a blast. You just might have to redo a few sections a few more times than you really want to.

Leave Them Wanting More

That brings us to the actual story of Darwin's Paradox!, which you'll notice I saved for last. Ultimately, that's because I do think it's probably the weakest aspect of the game overall. It's a slight shame, because the environmental storytelling, thanks to the game's immaculate presentation and design, really is top-notch and rivals anything else on the market.

The narrative is an ultimately pretty basic story of trying to rescue your red octopus buddy that's been abducted by a UFO in the intro of the game, which requires you to traverse all these zany and incredible areas in order to get everyone safely back home. It's Finding Nemo-lite in this regard, only with octopi and extra-terrestrials thrown into the mix. Thankfully, there's a strong sense of mystery to what's really going on in the areas you're exploring, which keeps you always wanting to move forward and see what happens next.

Cute flashbacks throughout make it seem like Darwin's Paradox! is aiming for that emotional storytelling Pixar-vibe, but it really never gets to that point before ending abruptly on a cliffhanger that seems to be setting up a sequel. While I am 100% down and ready for more games in this IP and am elated that it seems to be going this way, I also can't help but think that Darwin's Paradox! could've aimed slightly higher here.

Ultimately though, none of this really bothered me much. As a video game to play and experience the world of, Darwin's Paradox! is downright special. As an entire package, a story that really hit home could've pushed it into 10/10 territory for me, because I really did enjoy everything else that much. Ultimately, however, I really did love this game, and wanting more from the story feels a little silly, if not greedy, when you remember just how fun and awesome it all is regardless.

It's a good sign when something leaves you wanting more, and as the credits rolled on Darwin's Paradox!, I walked away thoroughly impressed by what the dev team had crafted here, even if I wasn't ready for it to end, or it didn't take the story as far as I might have thought it was going to.

At the end of the day, this is still a video game that feels special, and I couldn't put it down. Fans of mascot platformers young and old have so much to like with Darwin's Paradox!, and I'm now rooting for it to be a new series we get to revisit time and time again.

Darwin's Paradox! is a special little mascot platformer that feels like a throwback to the PS1-era, but with all the sheen and quality of life improvements of the modern day. It's overflowing with charm, smart ideas, and fun gameplay that's all paced perfectly from chapter to chapter. As adorable as the game is, the narrative doesn't hit the highs of the Pixar films it seems to be inspired by, and it ends pretty abruptly on a cliffhanger. That, combined with some occasional checkpointing headaches are really the only blemishes on an otherwise completely lovely experience. Play this game. We don't get ones like this often.