If you’re thinking about trying this little platformer-esque game, it’s worth checking out the official site. It even has a genuine game manual (with page turning omg). On an early tangent, publisher Devolver wrote an article about how much effort they put into the sites for their games. Also worth a read. Devolver has the spirit of a publisher that enjoys what it’s doing. I thought their recent Devolver Direct was the best of the various games showcases from this spring/summer. Knocking the giant gaming corps down a peg or two. And yes, I was won over by the presentation as much as the games, because Devolver appears to recognise that gaming should be fun and different, giving us new ideas and stylish twists. I think that was reflected in the presentation, and it’s present in many of their games, including Pepper Grinder. Phew, back on track.
Developed by Ahr Ech, Pepper Grinder has plenty of polish. It takes a small idea, travelling by drilling, and expands it into a colourful and varied full game with an experience you’ll be hard pressed to find elsewhere. The bulk of the gameplay is navigating through piles of earth, while collecting currency and health, evading hazards, and fighting the monstrous pirates.
The drilling motion has a pleasing feel to it. It is fast and responsive, although I never felt like I mastered it. There was always a certain degree of instability for me. That’s mostly due to my not being the greatest gamer when it comes to fast paced twitchy games. And while there are some puzzling moments, Pepper Grinder is more about speed, action, and reaction. Angling for a boosted jump out of the earth or water or through patches of air as you climb is an art form.
There is a good deal of variety throughout the levels which keeps the game alive. Grappling points, cannons, oceans, balloons, and vehicles complicate the route to the level end. Some items can be used with the drill bit, leading to some long run ‘n’ gun sections. And a chaotic level of destruction towards the end which I won’t spoil. The last world has some very fun mechanics as the set pieces increase. It’s nice that the game keeps rewarding you for getting further into it with more spectacle.
Game length. There are four worlds. Each has five levels and one extra level that needs unlocking (it’s easy to unlock them all). It took me four hours to beat it. For extended play there are large coins hidden in every level that can be collected and traded; these unlock the extra levels and cosmetics. Also there are trophies for time attacks.
Difficulty wise, it’s in the sweet spot for me. Enough to piss me off, make me keep trying, and finally get there. The bosses at the end of each world vary in difficulty. The main aspect of them is to understand the patterns and weak spots. The final boss did test me and took a while. I wouldn’t call Pepper Grinder a hard game, there are a reasonable amount of checkpoints without it being too often. Game speed can also be lowered in the options. However, I imagine getting golds on the time attacks will be tough. Speed running is not my scene though. I prefer the hunting for hidden coins of which I missed quite a lot.
Steam doesn’t show any support for the Dualsense controller. I found that on macOS it worked fine but displays Xbox symbols. The only thing I needed the keyboard for was using Escape to exit the game.
A game that prominently features turnips must be good, right? My first impressions of Pepper Grinder were good and that maintained throughout as it kept throwing more fun stuff at me. It’s the sort of game I get caught up in over a weekend, enjoy the hell out of it, then move on.
Available from GOG, Steam, Epic, and console stores.
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