It feels like I’m always eternally waiting for the next 2D action game published by Devolver Digital. Olija, Gunbrella, and now Pepper Grinder despite being developed by different people share something I’m always looking for in the genre. Solid controls, fun movement mechanics, crunchy sound effects, and an insistence on not wasting the player’s time. I’m sure you can deduce from this intro that I had a blast with Pepper Grinder, and I’ll gush about it in the review below.
Story and Gameplay
The premise is pretty straightforward. You play as Pepper, an adventurer who has washed up on the shore of a mysterious island with all her treasure stolen from her by the adorably mischievous Narlings. She’s clearly, not happy about it, and aims to reclaim every piece of gold back with the help of the Grinder, a versatile tool that grinds through dirt with ease and propels her forward.
The story itself is barely there, but rather it’s Pepper’s pursuit that serves as the motivation to keep going on. I don’t mind this at all, and it’s honestly refreshing for an action platformer to just embrace the mechanics, and rely largely on the world, its enemies, and bosses to paint a world that’s worth exploring.
The hook of Pepper Grinder is the way Pepper flows around a level thanks to her Grinder. It allows her to dig through dirt, collect treasure along the way, and even battle enemies of all shapes and sizes. The game is all about flow, and how accurately you can maneuver Pepper through the dirt, and propel her to the next platform. All the levels are built around this idea, and the challenge gradually increases as you encounter different platforming structures that push you to creatively move around the grindable terrain.
Each new area has multiple levels that don’t take long to complete, but offer replayability in the form of medals. These are similar to the strawberries in Celeste, but here you can use these to buy cosmetics for Pepper, and stickers to use in the game’s fun scrapbook-like take on the traditional photo mode. I love the overall variety in the levels, and how new obstacles are slowly introduced, allowing players to practice through and get a hang of the mechanics.
You can use the regular treasure to buy health that can be stacked on your regular one, and it really comes in handy, especially against some of the bosses. The bosses can be pretty hard, and I found the difficulty to be much higher than the platforming challenges in the levels. While most of these take Pepper’s maneuverability into account, I found a lot of it boiled down to learning patterns.
Over time, Pepper can also use a grappling hook which paired with the Grinder allows her to cover a lot of distance, and get through tricky platforming puzzles. The game never loses sight of the core mechanics though, which is why I think it works so well. The Grinder is used to operate all sorts of machinery in the world like platforms, motors, doors, weapons, and even a Mech.
Overall, the gameplay is easily the highlight here, and I loved my time with it. It’s not a long game, but the game doesn’t waste a second and every level feels fun to go through. It’s still a bit on the easier side I’d say, but if you’re aiming for all the medals in the game, it’ll take you a bit to get that 100%.
Graphics and Audio
Pepper Grinder is a visual treat. I love all the little characters, enemies, and bosses in this game. It’s not just the characters you interact with directly, but massive monsters, and landmarks that dynamically move around in the environment. The fire/flame effect, in particular, is great, and reminded me a lot of Noita, though it’s not as reactive. Pepper’s hair and poncho/cape can be customized, and there are multiple colors you can purchase.
The way treasure bounces around the level, enemies turn to bone, and the momentum of Pepper grinding through dirt and bosses all add up to a memorable game, and a world that’s a joy to be in. Similarly, the sound effects are extra crunchy, and play a big part in the immersion. I was also surprised by how varied the OST is. Some of the tracks are jazz, while others are basslines that perfectly mesh with the chaos on screen.
Feedback
I don’t have a lot of feedback to give, but I’m surprised by one small omission. In a lot of similar 2D platformers, you can use the right stick to look around the level relative to your position. For some reason, that just isn’t available in Pepper Grinder. I’m not sure why that is because there are often parts of the map with extra content that can easily be missed if you don’t happen to land on it. It’s not a big problem, but it’s something I’d like to see added in an update to improve navigation.
Verdict
Pepper Grinder is an incredibly fun, crunchy, and satisfying 2D action game that celebrates the art of drilling and grinding. The Grinder is an extremely versatile tool used for both platforming and combat, and the entire game is built around it with a ridiculous level of dedication. With a memorable world, fantastic presentation, and cute enemies to drill through, Pepper Grinder is a unique platformer worth the grind.
