Pepper Grinder is a fast-paced platformer for the Nintendo Swap. Developed by indie studio Ahr Ech, it takes the basic tunneling idea of Dig Dug and merges it with the platforming nuances of Mario’s finest adventures. The result’s one thing fairly distinctive, boasting fairly graphics, robust ranges, and tense boss fights.
Issues start when our heroine wakes ashore to seek out her treasures have been stolen. She discovers a useful drill and units off on an journey to reclaim what’s hers, taking down any creepy monster who stands in her means. There’s not a lot in the way in which of dialogue, however that’s simply effective. Issues transfer alongside swiftly, and we’re shortly thrust into the primary stage.
Studying the fundamentals doesn’t take lengthy, both. You possibly can run and soar as with all typical platformer, whereas holding down the ZR button permits you to use your drill. You need to use this outsized instrument at any time, smashing all types of objects and enemies. Nevertheless, the digging portion of the gameplay solely works in sure forms of floor. These areas are differentiated by a lighter tone, indicating a sandy texture versus the rocky floor or grassy areas that you simply stroll on.
Urgent B whereas digging grants you a lift of pace. That is useful when it’s good to traverse gaps between sandy patches or take out an enemy patrolling the highest of your digable part. Issues shortly escalate, and it’s quickly apparent – by stage 2, in actual fact – that that is one robust little platformer.
Controlling your character as you dig is difficult; she strikes quick and might’t cease till she exits the sand. It takes getting used to, however pulling it off feels satisfying. Enemies change into the least of your issues as you’re launched to thorny branches and molten lava, amongst different issues. It retains you in your toes, that’s for certain.
To assist, you’re given 4 bars of life. Meaning you may take 4 hits earlier than restarting the extent. You’ll sometimes obtain further bars, supplying you with as much as eight hits. Let me let you know, you’ll want all eight. Fortunately, there are checkpoints inside every stage, much like Mario’s mini flags midway by his adventures. This creates a have to push by to the following checkpoint, a way of reduction flooding in now that you simply’re finished with the earlier part.
In fact, there are collectibles that tempt you to replay anyway. These come within the type of pirate cash, of which there are 5 scattered all through every stage. Some are clearly seen in hard-to-reach locations, whereas others are hidden in rocks that don’t look digable. Investigating is essential, one other Mario-ism that I loved seeing mirrored right here.
If it feels like there are just a few inspirations to platformers of the previous, there are. However there’s additionally a whole lot of ingenuity. Drilling by sand apart, there are different in-stage attachments to find, equivalent to keys and weapons. Blasting your means by enemies is simply as satisfying as tunneling beneath them. One other addition is hooks, which you’ll swing from like Spiderman. These require good timing to leap from sand to hook and again to extra sand with out falling to your demise. Oh, after which there are the boss fights.
Did I point out that Pepper Grinder is hard? Nicely, the boss fights expound on this notion exponentially. Even the primary encounter on the finish of world one took me greater than 20 makes an attempt to defeat. I felt achieved, certain, however would I’ve endured had I not been reviewing the sport? That’s a query finest left to you, pricey reader. For those who relish a problem, Pepper Grinder has it in spades.
Graphically, that is one charming-looking title. The marginally muddy graphics communicate to retro titles of the Nineteen Nineties, with pixelated characters that by some means ooze attraction regardless of being so small and smudgy. The backgrounds and foregrounds are each beautiful, giving it a playful, colourful look that leaps off the display. The audio is equally spectacular, with a implausible assortment of tunes that adjust between ranges. There was by no means a boring second each audibly or visually.
General, Pepper Grinder is a platformer that wears its inspiration on its sleeve, with collectibles, checkpoints, and extra in tow. It provides a novel spin to the components with the addition of a drill mechanic, making a fun-yet-tough expertise that’s satisfying to overcome. It’s not a super-long sport, however the problem will hold you busy for a while regardless.
