Short and Spicy | Pepper Grinder GameSpot Review

Pepper Grinder is a brief but frenzied platformer that finds myriad ways to build around its inventive central hook.
It only takes a glance to understand Pepper Grinder's inventive gimmick. A small girl named Pepper--a pirate by trade--wields a drill named Grinder that's roughly the size of her entire body. The gear allows her to grind through soft surfaces with ease, complete with the ability to launch out of the surface with a leap. That might have been enough to carry the game by itself, but what's most surprising about Pepper Grinder is its sheer variety. Though it's short, that brevity helps to make the campaign a no-filler thrill ride that continuously pushes the boundaries of its central mechanic.
Pepper Grinder is here for a good time, not for a long time. Every piece, from the core drilling mechanic itself to the various ways it manifests with cannons and mechs and more, feels meticulously engineered to teach you a new concept, wring the fun out of it, and then move on to the next. That sense of propulsion makes every moment fun and engaging. It's a great little gem of a game which, like its heroine, may be small in size but makes every bit count.

[@lukesoddlife]

The fact one guy made this is insane

[@husainzaki3098]

"My drill is the drill... that creates the heavens!!!"

[@leefrancis2221]

Great to shine the light on little indies, love it. It's a purchase!

[@jgodden8022]

This isn't a little indie. Pretty much anything published through Devolver qualifies as at least a moderately big indie through sheer force of marketing alone.

[@kewa_design]

It was developed by Just one Single Guy, which totally qualifies aome Respect for this Dev. Published by devolver doesnt make it a big Studio behind

[@88Opportunist]

Oh hey, this dude made it to Gamespot. Congrats man :)

[@drgonzo123]

Just beat it. Loved every second. If you’re interested at all it’s $15 well spent, and I selfishly want the game to do well so we get more from this developer.

[@narendraaditya8]

Don't spoil boss fights man!

[@clashclay]

This is my kind of game!

[@marcincudo5116]

Love it!

[@quincygaming9529]

didnt ori have this same gimmic

[@Arnell_Long]

8/10
Short and sweet, I'll eventually play this down the line.🙏🏽

[@condorman6293]

Interesting to watch this whole review without hearing mention of Ori 2

[@Emargonaut]

Ori 2 was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the demo for Pepper Grinder . It's clearly a huge inspiration, it's a shame that it doesn't even get recognition from major outlets when reviewing a game. It's like they forgot Ori 2 existed. It was an unforgettable game.

[@Mars0War]

@@EmargonautWhat are you talking about? Ori has 76 critic reviews on Metacritic, including all the major outlets. It was a big release at the time.

[@roborabbit1224]

This is where overwatch got their inspiration from for their new character

[@HyattAmericaShoeboxFiles5]

Poosee in Bio 🎉

[@jgodden8022]

I dream of the day that game journalists and gamers alike learn to use the word 'gimmick' properly. A well implemented core gameplay mechanic is not a gimmick. 'Blast processing' was a gaming gimmick, the Power Glove was a gimmick - a gimmick is conceived to partly swindle the audience; they emptily promise much in order to lure ill-informed consumers in. A novel game design element, especially when it is core to the overall design, is not a gimmick. 'Hook' was a far better term; a gimmick is a 'lure'.

[@thesamuraiman]

Agreed.

[@CrackBaby3]

"Gimmick" isn't defined with just one singular meaning. There is absolutely merit when using it in the way it was used in this review. It's crazy that you could say something so confidently and assertively, only to make a completely moot and useless point.

[@FlavourFool]

Dream big!

[@bakaslayer]

@@CrackBaby3says you

[@DRjaffy]

I've never seen anyone share this opinion but I couldn't agree more it's bothered me for years!

[@mikejawoski5904]

This looks exactly like Overwatch's newest hero. Coincidence??

[@EGRJ]

Probably, considering that this is rather blatantly inspired by Drill Dozer on GBA.
That, or the Drill Wisp from Sonic Colors.

[@Wylie288]

Its inspired by Ori. It takes the mechanic from that game. Something neither of the games you mentioned has anything similar too at all. Drills were not invented by video games.@@EGRJ

[@blacksmith679]

Their tusks not hornd

[@Emargonaut]

The main mechanic is heavily inspired by Ori and the Will of the Wisps. There is no originality in that, at least it could have been mentioned. Regardless, Pepper Grinder seems to expand on it in creative and interesting ways, it really surprises me nobody had made a game with this mechanic as core before. So props to them, the game looks super fun and well designed.

[@Brillobreaks]

You got it backwards. The (solo) developer of this game has been tweeting gifs of the digging mechanic from this game since 2016- 4 years before Ori and the Will of the Wisps came out.

[@Emargonaut]

@@Brillobreaks if that is the case then I retract my words. Thank you for letting me know

[@EGRJ]

It could've been inspired by Drill Dozer, Sonic Colors, or Ori. Hard to tell.

[@Wylie288]

@@EGRJ Considering it created the mechanic ORi uses and has absolutely nothing in common with Drill Dozer and Sonic colors..... It was inspired by neither

[@64ccd]

Considering how short it is I feel like maybe you just spoiled most of the game with this video?

[@ace1durago04]

I am never playing this game

[@seid82]

Anyway.🙄

[@Arnell_Long]

That's good to know...I'll eventually play this game 🎮 down the line and I hope those who play it will have fun.

[@ney1202]

Nobody asked you.

[@FlavourFool]

Well done.