Shortly after being woken up on the beach by a small, hideous green creature poking me with a stick -- who then stole all of my treasure away just before I stumbled upon the drill I'd use as my weapon for the next 7 hours to attempt to reclaim it -- I immediately noticed a couple of things about this game: (1) it's full of that classic Devolver Digital charm and (2) it absolutely RIPS.
Pepper Grinder is exactly what I've grown to love about Devolver-published games: it's got a fantastic soundtrack, kickass gameplay, and a unique feel to it that you really can't get anywhere else. It's a side-scrolling, platforming adventure in which the aforementioned drill is not only used as your weapon, but also your primary method of navigating the troubling terrain you'll encounter as you slice your way through dirt, ice, water, etc. to get to the end of each stage. Depending on the level, the drill also grants access to a few different temporary power ups that keep the gameplay feeling fresh -- including a Godzilla-like mech that smashes through buildings and a machine gun that lets you mow down hordes of enemies -- however, it would've been nice to be able to use the coins you collect to permanently upgrade the drill rather than relying on certain moments in certain levels to shake things up.
The boss battles are a blast, too, even if there are just a few. Truthfully, the combat as a whole is punchy and enjoyable, as nothing made me feel better than smashing through the skulls of the little green antagonists, a la the game's title card. But, as with many of the things the game does well, there simply isn't enough of it.
Each level contains two types of collectibles: Five tucked-away coins -- often found in walls, on hard-to-see platforms, among other secret locations -- and general treasure that you collect through killing enemies or smashing pots. But, while it's satisfying to discover one of the coins by meticulously combing each area, there isn't much of a benefit to collecting...anything, really. The treasure is used as currency you can spend at the shop to buy stickers and temporary health upgrades from gacha machines, neither of which are very exciting. And the coins can be spent on sheets on which to put those stickers, outfits (which are almost entirely just different hair colors for Pepper), and keys that open a single locked level in each area (the only real reason I felt enticed to spend them at all).
And that leads me into my core complaint with Pepper Grinder. Much of it simply feels half-baked: the shop, the game's length -- I spent 7 hours with it, but that's only because it took me 75% of the way through the game to truly feel like I mastered the drill's mechanics -- the story, etc. There's no doubt a solid backbone here, but by the time you hit the final boss and the game's abrupt ending, it's obvious it doesn't quite live up to its full potential, despite the fun you have with it along the way.
Pepper Grinder is exactly what I've grown to love about Devolver-published games: it's got a fantastic soundtrack, kickass gameplay, and a unique feel to it that you really can't get anywhere else. It's a side-scrolling, platforming adventure in which the aforementioned drill is not only used as your weapon, but also your primary method of navigating the troubling terrain you'll encounter as you slice your way through dirt, ice, water, etc. to get to the end of each stage. Depending on the level, the drill also grants access to a few different temporary power ups that keep the gameplay feeling fresh -- including a Godzilla-like mech that smashes through buildings and a machine gun that lets you mow down hordes of enemies -- however, it would've been nice to be able to use the coins you collect to permanently upgrade the drill rather than relying on certain moments in certain levels to shake things up.
The boss battles are a blast, too, even if there are just a few. Truthfully, the combat as a whole is punchy and enjoyable, as nothing made me feel better than smashing through the skulls of the little green antagonists, a la the game's title card. But, as with many of the things the game does well, there simply isn't enough of it.
Each level contains two types of collectibles: Five tucked-away coins -- often found in walls, on hard-to-see platforms, among other secret locations -- and general treasure that you collect through killing enemies or smashing pots. But, while it's satisfying to discover one of the coins by meticulously combing each area, there isn't much of a benefit to collecting...anything, really. The treasure is used as currency you can spend at the shop to buy stickers and temporary health upgrades from gacha machines, neither of which are very exciting. And the coins can be spent on sheets on which to put those stickers, outfits (which are almost entirely just different hair colors for Pepper), and keys that open a single locked level in each area (the only real reason I felt enticed to spend them at all).
And that leads me into my core complaint with Pepper Grinder. Much of it simply feels half-baked: the shop, the game's length -- I spent 7 hours with it, but that's only because it took me 75% of the way through the game to truly feel like I mastered the drill's mechanics -- the story, etc. There's no doubt a solid backbone here, but by the time you hit the final boss and the game's abrupt ending, it's obvious it doesn't quite live up to its full potential, despite the fun you have with it along the way.