Darwin's Paradox (What if you were an octopus in playdead's Inside?)
Darwin’s Paradox Revealed
Darwin’s Paradox is a cinematic platformer that looks a lot like Abe’s Odyssey and asks the question, what if you were an octopus in playdead’s INSIDE? Darwin’s Paradox is the latest attempt from Konami to release more games with less risk by partnering with smaller independent studios, which feels in the vein of the EA Originals program and other big developers who have tried to expand their portfolio like this, which I am all for. In 2024, Konami published the shoot em up Cygni, and in 2025 they will be publishing Deliver At All Costs and now Darwin’s Paradox.
Development of Darwin’s Paradox is being handled by ZDT Studio, a small indie studio based in Paris, France. The independent studio was founded by veterans of the gaming industry along with animation and visual effects. The studios mission statement is to create immersive experiences that embody the convergence of animated cinema and video games with the goal to reach a wider audience with experiences that feel like animated films.
Pixar Plus playdead = Darwin’s Paradox
Darwin’s Paradox is about an Octopus that is captured from the wild and finds himself at UFOOD INC, where he also happens to discover a plan for world domination. Octopi are one of the smartest creatures and also one of the most fascinating with their ability to mimic surroundings. You will have to use all of the abilities at the disposal of the octopus including the suction cupped tentacles, and timed ink shots to uncover the secrets of UFOOD INC and hopefully escape.
From the press release “every stage of the game offers new paths to explore, each transforming while players complete puzzles and obstacle courses. Players will tap into their octopus instincts to sneak through hostile territories patrolled by the very human and definitely not alien UFOOD Inc. With high powered stealth skills, Darwin becomes the ultimate infiltrator of the animal kingdom”
Konami even symbolically adopted Charlie Darwin, a real life common octopus at The Aquarium of The Pacific, which is located in Long Beach, California. I have been a handful of aquariums in my day and it’s one of the best. The symbolic adoption included a twenty five thousand dollar donation to the aquarium to help support marine conservation and animal care.
With Konami’s donation, it will help the aquarium achieve their goals of caring and providing for over twelve thousand species of animals while supporting its conservation initiatives including raising and the rehabilitation of endangered species for release into the wild as the aquarium is located right on the edge of the Pacific.
It might not seem like a huge amount, but we need to celebrate more positivity like this.
With a deep love for cinematic platformers, Darwin’s Paradox has moved way up on our list of most anticipated games coming in 2025 and although there is no official release date yet, Darwin’s Paradox is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox and Steam in 2025.