Darwin's Paradox! Reviews
A beautiful and varied platformer that has some issues with both the narrative and - to a lesser extent - the gameplay. Waiting for a discount is a great way to go - in that case you'll definitely won't regret the time and money spent on this game.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Darwin's Paradox! is a quirky puzzle-platformer that brings good times, but occasionally hits a brick wall.
But a game is only as good as it feels to play, and this one too frequently asks you to fight its systems rather than inhabit them. The frustrations are not deal-breakers in isolation; cumulatively, though, they erode the goodwill that the presentation so diligently earns.
The retro Americana-infused sci-fi take on this secret alien invasion does make me smile.
I am a big fan of cinematic platformers. I appreciate this attempt at taking the mechanics and presentational focus of the genre and applying them to a fun cartoon. That part of the game, alongside the platforming and puzzles, works well and is attractive. Unfortunately, the frequent sneaking slows the game down and is a barrier instead of a fun series of challenges to overcome.
Those options make the whole adventure move briskly as you rotate between different types of puzzle and platforming challenges without ever lingering on one for too long. It's a strong debut for Darwin and for ZDT, and I hope we see more from both of them.
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.
A more family friendly attempt to mimic the likes of Limbo and Inside but while the graphics are impressive the gameplay feels stolid and poorly paced.
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Review in Spanish | Read full review
Darwin's Paradox! is a lot of fun, the octopus and aliens theme is suitably absurd and comes with plenty of useful abilities that make the experience consistently unique and inventive. It is a short experience, which you should take into consideration, but it's one that's certainly worth playing.
It’s a joy to play, with strong pacing that keeps things engaging, though it is a little too short, and the collectables don’t add much in terms of replayability. Even so, this debut from ZDT Studio is fantastic and sets a strong foundation for what could become a standout name in cinematic platformers.
An adventure that blends platforming and puzzle-solving, featuring an extremely likable and versatile protagonist and a great variety of environments and situations. Darwin's special powers add flair to the gameplay that relies on established mechanics, with a few creative twists. Limited replay value, combined with some control issues and a few poorly balanced sections, detract from a final product that, with a little more polish, could have competed on-par with the best titles in the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I thought I’d seen all that could be done in the Octopus-starring indie game space, but Darwin has arrived as a thoughtful adventure full of heart and charm, gifting you with a suite of fun stealth and platforming abilities that then further unlocks lots of ways to suck you into its quirky world.
By leaning on its MGS stealth adventure lineage, Konami and developers ZDT Studios has produced a pleasing homage through it courtesy of Darwin's Paradox. The threats and the platforming challenges are numerous, the references are cool and you'll be content to keep on lapping this one up just to see the iron will of Darwin continue onward towards salvation. At times it can be a bit tricky to know exactly what to do, the story is threadbare and it might not be lengthy, but you will surely remember this one when you're done-even if it's just for the Metal Gear Solid references.
With its striking visual style and other qualities, I can definitely recommend this game, which feels fresh and very entertaining. Despite a few minor flaws, the overall package is excellent and makes for a very interesting addition to the Xbox catalog.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Undoubtedly, Darwin's Paradox! is its most interesting project of this kind, because although it is indeed a title with many more problems and errors than we would have liked to see, its virtues ultimately outweigh its flaws, resulting in an easy-to-enjoy game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A number of cool cephalopod-themed abilities and a focus on stealth set Darwin’s Paradox apart from other linear platformers, though it’s let down by imprecise controls and sluggish loading states between deaths that lead to much of its gameplay feeling frustrating. Its focus on a satirical hyper-capitalist world is engaging, but its bleak environmental design leaves its dystopian world feeling bland rather than enticing to explore. Despite this, some neat puzzles that make clever use of the unique traits of the octopus still make this a decent adventure for mollusc-maniacs.
Darwin's Paradox! brings some genuinely fresh ideas to the platforming genre, but the feeling its net wasn't cast wide enough is unshakeable.
The concept and aesthetic of Darwin's Paradox consistently shine, but its inventive wall-climbing gameplay is held back by a few noticeable frustrations.
Darwin’s Paradox! is a super fun 2D Puzzle Platform Adventure game, While i really enjoyed my time with the game and didn’t really encounter much problems other then sometimes being spawned back a bit further then I thought I would upon death, But other then that it is a Stupendous game