Pepper Grinder is a fast, fluid platformer you shouldn’t miss
Pepper Grinderdoesn’t need any words. There’s no need for dialogue or instructions because what this game entails is all in the name. Shipwrecked and with her treasure stolen, Pepper’s objective is clear: Grind — literally — her way through a pirate-plagued world to get back her prize.
Pepper Grinder is a platformer with a twist. It takes a lot of traditional platforming elements like precision and timing and pairs them with the chaos of a wickedly fast drill that propels Pepper through dirt, water, and other elements. If we’re making comparisons, Pepper Grinder takes the digging from Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ Windswept Wastes levels and combines it with the fluidity of Ecco the Dolphin. What you get is a thrilling, creative game that’ll keep your nerves on edge.
Created by Ahr Ech and published by Devolver Digital, Pepper Grinder has been in development since at least 2017, when its first trailer debuted. Watching that trailer back now, it’s clear that Ahr Ech had its concept set in stone by then, and presumably spent the next seven years iterating on and polishing it. That time and dedication is immediately noticeable. Though the game takes only about four hours to beat, the levels among its four separate biomes are very detailed. Spiky vines quiver as you pass, as if they might reach out and poke you. Spindly cracks in otherwise impenetrable rocks invite Pepper’s drill, opening up secret enclaves with big, collectable coins. Radishes, farmed by moles, crunch as you plow through them, with the heart-shaped ones granting you precious health.
Besides having a powerful drill, Pepper Grinder plays out like your traditional platformer: You’ll start on a map and move through its levels until you reach the boss. Somewhere on the map, you’ll find a curiosity shop where you can buy temporary health (which is dispensed through a bubblegum machine), stickers, cosmetics, or a key to one locked level per each of the four worlds using different coins found throughout the
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