Pepper Grinder (Nintendo Switch) – The test

Pepper Grinder, which we could translate as “pepper pot”, is not a cooking game, far from it. The game is an action-platformer developed by a single man who takes the pseudonym Ahr Ech. The game, which draws its inspiration from Dig Dug (1982) by Namco andEcco the Dolphin (1992) by SEGA, is published by Devolver Digital, a studio renowned for unearthing small independent gems like Cult of the Lamb Or Registration. What about Pepper Grinderwho arrives on theeShop on March 28, 2024 at the price of fifteen euros?

An original concept

Pepper Grinder is a 2D action platformer with an astonishing concept. You play as Pepper, a young woman who lands in a hostile world. With her faithful sidekick, Grinder, her drilling machine, she will have to succeed in killing the enemies who mistreated her. This completely anecdotal scenario is our entry point into this adventure.

Our character moves with a drill in his hands, which influences his movements. With it, we can go underground in order to move and leap into the sky like a dolphin. To better understand, we invite you to watch the video attached at the end of the test.

The handling of Pepper Grinder is quite simple and the mechanics are cleverly deployed so that we can gradually learn them.

With our drill we can first go into the earth with the right trigger. This allows us to move to inaccessible places in perpetual motion: to stop the drill we will have to come out of the ground.

The drill also allows you to hit enemies and it will also allow you to recover objects of all kinds such as a machine gun, a key, or even to activate platforms.

To get out of the ground, we can jump normally but we can also press the trigger and “B” to jump even higher. This jump is very practical but you should also know that it is complicated to manage the fall and that you will therefore have to handle your jumps sparingly.

Finally there will be the “Y” button, which will allow us to hang on to sockets on the wall in order to swing.

Perfectly mastered gameplay

Pepper Grinder is a 2D action platformer that exudes retro while offering a modern and innovative experience. The game is composed of several worlds, like a Super Mario Bros.which are themselves composed of several levels.

Each world has its own graphic style and mechanics. The volcano, for example, will have lava and flames to dodge while the beach will force us to go underwater… and believe us, swimming with a drill in your hand is far from being an easy thing.

At the end of each world there is a boss which has its own pattern and which requires a good dose of technique and a lot of failures to succeed in killing it. For example, there will be the beetle that climbs the walls, or the woman who also uses a drill to fight.

The gameplay of Pepper Grinder is very good if not excellent. We, who are nevertheless closed to platformers, had a great time playing this game.

The mechanics are astonishing and original and offer us a unique experience that stands out from the rest of games of this genre.

Well-thought-out level design

The level design is particularly well thought out and each level has its own twist which amuses us. We loved being a robot or riding a snowmobile.

The hidden rooms which allow you to unlock bonus levels allow the most seasoned players and completionists to return to the game while the more casual will be able to take the adventure in a straight line without worrying about it.

The difficulty is well balanced. Some levels are simple but fun while others really give us a hard time. Despite the difficulty of certain passages, Pepper Grinder is never punitive and successfully completing the most complex passages gives a real feeling of satisfaction.

The bosses are really complicated. It took us, as you can see in our discovery video, ten to twenty passages each time to succeed in defeating them. They have interesting patterns.

For those who are put off by the difficulty, the store allows us to purchase single-use hearts which allow you to start levels with double life. This idea is very interesting and really allows you to adjust the difficulty for all types of players.

The coins accumulated throughout the levels also allow you to collect stickers and pages to make pretty images, but we found this idea less relevant and almost anecdotal.

A somewhat short lifespan

Unfortunately, despite these immense qualities, Pepper Grinder Also has some minor flaws that should be noted. First of all, this may be stupid to explain, but we are not invincible during a boss' ending animation.

Imagine us, victorious after a fierce fight lasting more than twenty minutes, accidentally falling into the void while the boss decomposes. Or, always after a fierce fight, we accidentally touch the boss while he is dying and therefore take away our last life.

These passages are very frustrating, take away the pleasure of victory and force us to unfairly restart a boss even after having won.

The lifespan is quite short, even for fifteen euros. However, the content is of high quality and we are almost disappointed to finish the adventure so quickly. There are four worlds made up of five levels each (plus a bonus for each world) and we have a slight feeling of missing at the end of the game. Despite everything, Pepper Grinder remains a very, very good game and the three-four hours spent on it are of quality.

The pixel art offered by the game is also very successful and takes us into varied levels with very different universes. We liked the variety and the developer's effort to succeed in offering unique worlds while remaining coherent.

The soundtrack is also of good quality, capable of alternating between gentle moments and more energetic ones, which corresponds well to the universe of Pepper Grinder.

Attached is a video where we discover the first world of the game.

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