Bringing new ideas into the oversaturated platforming genre isn’t easy but developer Ahr Ech took on the challenge nevertheless. Pepper Grinder is an original platformer where you’ll use a drill to dig and jump around the levels. It comes close to how a dolphin moves but comes with some extra challenges. Is this a game worth playing? Let’s dive in!
Reclaim your treasure
Pepper Grinder tells the story of Pepper, a blue-haired pirate who got shipwrecked and robbed of all her treasure on a mysterious island. Together with Grinder, her trustworthy drill, she promises to reclaim what is (not so) rightfully hers and make the mysterious creatures who dared to cross paths, pay the price. It’s not the most deep story but it does the job to keep the game flowing. Although the story itself is pretty basic, the presentation is original and spot on. Published by Devolver Digital, this game fits right into their portfolio of creative and visually pleasing games. Pepper Grinder offers a blast from the past with its pixelated look and the way the story is told in a short introduction but it really does the job. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about the gameplay.
Smooth as butter
The actual gameplay is smooth as butter and extremely easy to learn. With just a push of the button, you’ll drill your way through different surfaces and jump out of the ground like a dolphin. You can boost to go faster to give you even more momentum. Using this momentum is crucial since it’s not the easiest game. The platform segments aks a lot of precision so if you got your timing off, you’ll probably end up seeing the game over screen a lot. Luckily, the game has plenty of save points so you never lose too much of your progress. I love the flow of drilling and jumping, aiming for that right momentum to get me where I need to go. Throughout the game, the developers added some variation in the form of grappling hooks and puzzle mechanics where you have to hook your drill onto a temporary device. Some of these devices are powerful canons while others are keys to unlock certain areas. Although I appreciate the variation it doesn’t always work in favor of the actual flow. I think Pepper Grinder is at its best when it just uses the drilling mechanism to platform and defeat some occasional bosses. The added variation is fun but not necessary and might even break the flow a bit too much for some.
Challenging but fair
Besides challenging platforming sections, Pepper Grinder also features a couple of boss fights and those are pretty challenging. Since most of the bosses can only be defeated by exploiting their weak points and aiming your drill precisely, it’s not that easy to take them down and it certainly takes a couple of minutes before you figure out the best flow and timing. The bosses are designed to be challenging but never do they feel unfair, if you watch and learn their pattern, you’ll be victorious after a couple of times. Like any other challenging game, the bosses have several stages, switching things up a bit to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last second. Some boss fights might be a bit too long due to those stages but I had fun nevertheless.
Conclusion:
Pepper Grinder is a fun game for those looking for an extra challenge. The gameplay mechanics are extremely smooth and the bosses are fun to battle. It’s not perfect and perhaps a bit short but it’s one of the most fun platformers I’ve played recently.
