What would you do if a load of pirates stole your hard-earned booty and the one device you may discover to get your stuff again was an outsized drill? Nicely, Pepper Grinder proffers a solution: you’d flip that drill right into a form of weapon-cum-vehicle and chase them down.
Over the course of a brief runtime, throughout 4 worlds that every provide up a handful of ranges, you may zip round, tunnelling by means of delicate earth to burst out into the delicate underbellies of enemies. As you go, you may be constructing your momentum to leap throughout gaps, boosting when you’ll be able to. In homage to a reasonably apparent inspiration, you finish every degree by drilling to spin a flag up its pole.
Like several conventional platformer, every world concludes with a boss stage, and these function noticeable spikes in issue (fortunately mitigated by an outstanding issue choice that allows you to actually flip the velocity of the sport down). Regular phases, although, are all about motion, as you snake round underground looking for the appropriate line to progress by means of the subsequent part of platforming.
This platforming feels nice, and as soon as grappling and boosts are within the combine you may have a pleasant mix of choices at your palms to get by means of ranges. Each additionally hides 5 cash that, when collected, could be put towards cosmetics and keys that unlock a bonus stage per world, that are nicely price exploring.
Comparatively beneficiant checkpointing implies that you will not usually end up compelled to restart ranges, and Pepper Grinder additionally has some good twists on its central concepts, together with underwater sections and stomping controllable robots. Nonetheless, by the shut of its three-to-four-hour run, you may be repeating these concepts a bit, and Pepper Grinder finally ends up feeling prefer it most likely did not have far more to provide, which suggests you may solely be disillusioned for those who’re searching for a mammoth set of ranges.
Pepper Grinder’s look can also be actually sprightly (pun meant): its pixel artwork is easy and well-executed, with often characterful animations, and the entire thing’s backed by a cool soundtrack. This won’t be essentially the most substantial of platformers, however it’s a spirited entry.