Pepper Grinder Critic Reviews

Pepper Grinder undoubtedly shines as another gem in Devolver Digital’s diverse portfolio, reaffirming their reputation for delivering standout indie games that captivate and entertain. Pepper Grinder is sure to delight platformers with its unique mechanics and treasure-collecting glory.

Pepper Grinder is one of the most entertaining 2D platformers I've played in ages, with fantastic motion and seriously creative and varied stages.

There’s more to Pepper Grinder than just digging. Ahr Ech successfully managed to cram fluid platforming and free-flowing traversal in ways that make its hallmark digging mechanics joyous while innovating in using the drill for other utilitarian purposes. Its 2D platforming is refreshing and rewarding when you settle into the groove of being able to move in every direction. I truly dug Pepper Grinder, and I sincerely hope that Ahr Ech continues to make fantastic retro platformers while also expanding the current universe of narwhal pirates. Hopefully those games come sooner rather than later.

Pepper Grinder is a treasure trove of excitement and charm, beckoning players to sail into its captivating world and embark on a thrilling adventure unlike any other.

Pepper Grinder is an innovative platformer that should be on your backlog of games to play and is the perfect snack-sized experience to hold you over until your next big title. The fluid gameplay, stunning pixel art visuals and slapping soundtrack will make you hungry for more.

When taking a glimpse at the gameplay of Pepper Grinder, the brain’s neurons start rapidly firing as it looks so satisfying. And I’m elated to say that the experience delivers on it being an absolutely fun ride of an arcade platformer. There’s no doubt that developer Ahr Ech put a ton of work into making sure all the elements aligned for a gratifying experience.

Pepper Grinder is a unique and challenging title that has you drilling through everything to recover your stolen treasure. With great visuals and jazzy music, this is a title to check out!

Pepper Grinder has a very good core idea and builds fun platforming levels and puzzles around its big drill. The four worlds introduce new ideas and challenges, as well as boss fights. The pixel art makes the world come alive more than the narrative. The focus on replaying levels and collectibles isn’t up my alley but the design is good and will satisfy gamers interested in it. Pepper Grinder is fast and tense, with plenty of variety, a steady increase in difficulty, and has the potential to reverse grinding’s bad reputation.

In all, Pepper Grinder is a very fun time with a creative way to stand out from other retro-styled platformers thanks to the drill at the very centre of the gameplay. Add in enjoyable level design that encourages replayability, challenging but satisfying boss fights, and you have a very enjoyable and short retro platformer that is sure to delight fans of the genre!

Pepper Grinder is a digestible adventure that can be completed in about six hours. While there is some replay value to be had, the short runtime helps ensure the game does not overstay its welcome, making it perfect for those looking to play a satisfying platformer in manageable doses. Despite its brevity, the fluid mobility provided by the drilling mechanic and overall frenetic gameplay make for an engaging retro romp that will likely tunnel its way straight to your heart.

Clocking in at around three to four hours to roll credits, Pepper Grinder while not the lengthiest of platforming titles thanks to its prime drilling mechanic, makes said run-time a thoroughly satisfying one. A core premise that's aided on top by a thoughtful approach to level design, not to mention a knack for continually chopping and changing the formula with one interesting new element or introduction of a neat gimmick after another. Developer Ahr Ech's ability to conjure so much from out so little a detail as how a character moves should not go unnoticed. Serviceable, bordering on unnecessary, its secondary content might feel, Pepper Grinder's ability to be just as satisfying to control, as much to work out and eventually beat, grants this particular drill-powered adventure a well-deserved identity all its own.

I expected a bit more out of Pepper Grinder than I got, but none of that is really a mark against the game. There are definitely things about the game I dislike – boss fights primarily, or the general brevity and simplicity of the game – but that’s also judging a game I didn’t get rather than one I did, and the title isn’t priced like a big sprawling adventure. At a $15 price tag, it feels like a light weekend thing, something you can drill through in a few nights of idle play and then pick up again whenever you have a hankering for something similar...That’s… what it wants to be. And so I have to kind of give it up for that. There are frustration points, sure, but if you like this style of platformer it simultaneously doesn’t feel like something that’s been done a dozen times before and is fun to play start to finish. Not every game manages that.

Even if some of the boss battles and tougher platforming sections made me want to cry and the relatively short run-time had me done with Pepper’s adventure quicker than I’d like, Pepper Grinder is one of the most entertaining 2D platformers in recent memory and one that pushes its unique selling point to the limit. Pepper Grinder is drill-y good.

Five hours of fun, frantic platforming that’s unwieldy and all the better for it.

Pepper Grinder is a rollicking platformer that combines some classic level design with revitalised traversal mechanics akin to Ecco the Dolphin’s nose-first ocean-cruising, except on this occasion the nose is a big, bad-ass drill that makes short work of terra and pirate terrors alike.

If you revel in a challenge and like the idea of a platforming game that offers something totally different, you’re going to absolutely love Pepper Grinder. When it’s all going right, few games feel as satisfying to play as this: there’s nothing quite like powering up your drill to dive through the ground, popping out to jump through the air before landing into a well-placed drill again. Sometimes it’s perhaps a little too tough, but even when Pepper Grinder’s not at its strongest, we couldn’t pull ourselves away, desperate to eventually succeed.

Pepper Grinder is anything but a grind, letting players drill through land, sea, and air with relative ease. While we would have loved to see more content – and more bosses in particular – this title proves that it’s the pirate’s life for us.

Fun, smart but definitely too short - Pepper Grinder is another prime example of how innovative and fun the indie gaming community is. A project that first surfaced in 2017, because one of the most fun games of 2024 - I just wished it had more levels.

Although it does not promise long hours, Pepper Grinder is definitely an alternative worth checking out for those who love platform games. We have a "delicious" package with various sections, cute pixel art design and ambient music.

The platformer offers varied levels with funny ideas, an ingenious mechanic for locomotion that lets you explore the genre with a fresh pinch of cleverness and a really pretty pixel art design that convinces even pixel-skeptical folks like me.