A Pepper Grinder

They stole Pepper's treasure, but they didn't count on her trusty Grinder. In Pepper Grinder, this furious little pirate will drill her way through everything and everyone to rescue her beloved treasure. With her extremely powerful drill, Pepper will make her way, causing damage wherever she goes.

Developed by Ahr Ech and Published by Devolver Digital (which has been doing well with its publications lately, by the way), Pepper Grinder is a very frenetic action-platform adventure game that will make you want to have a drill. Set to be released on March 28, the game will be available for PC and Nintendo Switch.

What can a pirate do for her treasure?!

What's the definition of insanity again? Well... You better review that. Insanity, my friends, is stealing the treasure of a pirate who has a drill as a tool.

In Pepper Grinder, the narrative is straightforward: they stole from the pirate and she wants her treasure back. To do that, she will use her fury and tool to reach all the Narlings, jewels, and coins she finds in her way.

With light, cartoonish, and colorful visuals, the game delivers an atmosphere reminiscent of games like Celeste, Steamworld Dig, Super Meat Boy, and Re:call, but at a much faster pace, making the experience very dynamic.

Furthermore, the game features charismatic and funny characters that engage and entertain all the time. Because of these elements, I realize and emphasize, every day that passes, how important the indie scene is for the revitalization of the industry.

Although big studios produce incredible games, with the biggest and best minds in the market working towards huge products, I notice that creativity has increasingly become stagnant, while in small studios, it seems to flourish.

Pepper Grinder, combining unlikely concepts (a pirate with a drill?!) delivers an experience that makes perfect sense (yes, a pirate with a drill!). This is mainly due to the ability to think and conceive ideas that may seem impractical, but that serve the gameplay in an exemplary way.

Where are the new Italian plumbers jumping on evil turtles? Where are the monkeys throwing barrels and somersaulting? Well... We find that kind of logic in indies, who understand that narrative, sometimes, doesn't need to be present just to tell a good story, but to bring meaning to gameplay that can be very fun, crazy, and still make total sense.

Pepper Grinder doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it reminds us that innovation is the result of experience, purpose, and, above all, the passion of those who propose to do something new.

The art of grinding is the art of precision

If you like precision and speed, Pepper Grinder is a dish full of holes. Could the game be a Swiss cheese?! Although the Ahr Ech studio is located in Oregon, United States, we see that they have produced a game that is a true Swiss army knife. With roguelite elements, platforming, and a lot of speed, Pepper Grinder serves various audiences without losing its identity.

Our frenetic little pirate uses her drill to pierce the ground and practically swim through it, like a super fast mole. As she drills her way, she can collect part of her stolen treasure and even find secret passages that give pirate coins to unlock items in a little shop. These items can be life upgrades and interesting cosmetic items, like different hairstyles and stickers of various enemies. Oh, and the items come in those transparent vending machine capsules found at your neighborhood pharmacy. Super cool!

While the visuals are cartoonish and even a bit childish, don't be fooled by the game's difficulty. Pepper Grinder is a game with intermediate difficulty, as it requires precision and attention at all times, despite not having very complex challenges. In certain regions, you'll wish for a save point to make you breathe a little easier. Sometimes you'll find them, but sometimes... you won't. Sorry.

But to help overcome these challenges, the game will offer you gradual and fun upgrades to increase the game's fluidity. You'll hang and swing around, jump and fly over obstacles, and even shoot the little thief Narlings with a machine gun reminiscent of Metal Slug. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and I guarantee you, the need to restart the level after a sequence of wrong moves won't be rare, requiring a lot of precision to execute. Learn to dance with the drill.

The game features short levels and interesting bosses that will require skill, creativity, and focus to face them. At first glance, they may seem impossible, but with attention and care, you'll send them to the bottom of the sea. Believe in your potential!

Furthermore, Pepper Grinder could have a co-op mode, for you and a buddy to go around drilling everything. It would be fun.

Seasoned Graphics

Visually, Pepper Grinder presents a pixelated and light art style, like some of the games I mentioned earlier. With maps that seem to have been drawn by children, the game builds this playful and unpretentious atmosphere that aims at fun above all else.

The same goes for the soundtrack. Frantic and fun, it fits perfectly with the theme and contributes greatly to the player's immersion. The sound effects are also relevant and communicate with the experience, making the game cohesive and well-rounded.

Finally, I would like to commend Devolver Digital for fostering games like this while also building a catalog with incredible games, which are the product of passionate developers with the power to transform the gaming industry into a place where games and art blur and mutually value each other. 

For this Review, Pepper Grinder was played on PC, through Steam.

We greatly appreciate Devolver Digital, who by providing the game access key, made this content possible.