Konami’s Octopus Platformer Swims Onto Switch 2 Next Year, While Switch 1 Version Goes MIA

Earlier this year, in Sony’s February State of Play, Konami revealed Darwin’s Paradox!, an octopus platformer with more than a little Inside-esque stealth gameplay under the hood. A Switch 1 version was announced at the time, but a new trailer suggests that things might have made the jump entirely to Switch 2.

The Switch 1 icon at the end of the reveal trailer has been solely replaced by its Switch 2 counterpart in the new footage, accompanied by a 2026 release window.

So, the old hardware might be missing out, but the new trailer has got its tentacles around us, all the same. The Inside vibes are still present and correct, as Darwin the octopus stealthily completes platforming puzzles while avoiding the gaze of creepy, dystopian scenes in the background.

There are abilities like flying when filled with hot air, or twanging across large gaps that make things look a little more family-friendly than Playdead’s depressing affair, but we sense there’ll be a decent number of chills along the way, too.

Here’s a handful of screens from the Konami website, so you can get an idea of the dread under the colourful surface:

Alongside the new gameplay trailer, Konami has also released a Darwin’s Paradox dev deepdive with some of the team from ZDT Studio, which delves into the game’s inspirations and stealthy protagonist.

So yes, the Switch 1 version may be dead in the water, but we’ll be excited to check this one out on Switch 2 — hopefully with some improved specs to boot — at some point in 2026.