While the Internet says that Darwin’s Paradox! was first announced several years ago, I didn’t catch wind of it until one of Sony’s State of Play showcases from almost exactly a year ago. Fast forward to the present, and the game’s demo appears, much to my delight. I eagerly dove into it upon release and had a blast! Coming in around forty-five minutes (or longer for clumsy players like me) it showcases an intriguing setup, solid platforming, and interesting puzzles that all revolve around an octopus that appears to have been stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Cheekily advertised as a “Tactical Action Octopus Demo,” this first bit of Darwin’s Paradox! pays homage to Konami’s classic Metal Gear series. Our titular trapped octopus, Darwin, must both infiltrate and escape from the evil, corporate UFood factory using his natural skills, such as camouflage, swimming, and suction, and at least one unnatural but recognizable tactic – hiding in cardboard boxes. About half the demo takes place on solid ground, and the other half takes place in water. Given Darwin’s cephlapod-ic cunning, my hope is that players will be treated to traversing a number of different environments in the full game.

As far as visuals go, Darwin’s Paradox! is crisp, colorful, and clean. It brings to mind the Ori series, only with a bit more “reality” going on in the background. There were only a few moments where it felt like Darwin got a little lost in the scene, but being a bright blue octopus with large, gleaming eyes greatly helped him stand out. His camouflage ability came into play sporadically and worked quite well. While the demo is billed to have “tactical action,” tactical stealth” may have been more appropriate, since Darwin spends a considerable amount of his above-ground time sneaking past enemies. Once Darwin finds water, the game’s “action” ramps up a little in and among mostly puzzle-solving. There was no boss battle in the demo, so Darwin’s full suite of abilities remains to be seen.

I played through the Darwin’s Paradox! demo a couple times on the PS5, and I thoroughly enjoy what it offers. It feels like it’ll be a great addition to the ever-evolving landscape of modern platformers with classic sentiments. While I don’t know if it’ll be a personal day-one buy (I’ve still got MIO: Memories in Orbit to in backlog, for one), I’m looking forward to its release. For fans of puzzle-platformers, its definitely a game to watch. Look for it across all consoles and PCs in April.

Lede image and video captured by author using the PlayStation 5 (Darwin’s Paradox! demo © ZDT Studio, Konami).