Pepper
Grinder

Pepper Grinder (2024) is an action-adventure game about a hero with an unusual weapon: a super-powered drill. Play is all about using this drill in interesting ways, combining running and jumping with tunnelling through the dirt of the terrain. It's a novel idea but really stands out for the flow of the movement where your burrowing feels like swimming as a dolphin.

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You are a shipwrecked pirate whose treasure has been stolen. You use your trusty drill to traverse the levels, reclaiming your treasure as you go. You burrow through terrain and water while also triggering other mechanisms to let you progress.

As you progress you encounter mysterious beings who stand in your way as they emerge from the shadows. You'll need to take them on these enemies and make use of the various mechanical artefacts. As you go you cash in the jewels you collect to power up Pepper, open up new paths on the world map, and snag collectible stickers for your sticker book.

The result is a game that's a novel idea. What makes it really fun, is how the drilling traversal is implemented. What starts as a way to dig up treasure soon becomes a flowing method to swim through each level.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Pepper Grinder 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated 7 weeks ago.