Pepper Grinder Review (PlayStation 5)

by Jim Smale · August 23, 2024

Pepper Grinder Review, is an action-packed pirate adventure starring the titular Pepper, a seafaring soul with a passion for prospecting, and Grinder, her super-powered drilling device. Shipwrecked and robbed of her treasure, Pepper must spin up her trusty sidearm to reclaim what the mischievous Narlings stole. Armed with Grinder, Pepper burrows through terrain & water, controls machines, and pulverizes all enemies blocking the way towards recovering her missing fortune – with interest! Pepper’s progress will not be that simple, however, as mysterious beings begin to emerge from the shadows…

Pepper Grinder Review Pros:

Decent pixel art graphics.
313.9MB download size.
Platinum trophy.
You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game.
3 save slots.
Action platformer gameplay.
Tutorial pop-ups as you play.
2D game World with 3D backdrops.
Beautiful in-game cutscenes and character interactions.
You can skip the cutscenes and interactions.
Armed with a drill, you can break objects, take out enemies, and dig into parts of the level.
Momentum-based traversal so do a loop or semi-circle whilst digging so when you leave the dirt you fly up higher allowing you to then go into more dirt and get a real rhythm going.
Take out enemies head-on or dig underneath them and pop up!
Collect gems within the levels.
Simple easy-to-learn controls make it very accessible to new players.
Game speed slider.
Repeated inputs can be set to hold, automatic, or manual.
Different enemy types require different approaches so there is some that can only be hit underneath for example.
Puzzle elements throughout.
Every level has a set of optional coins to collect.
Time attack mode is available for each level with bonus rewards.
It’s got some very clever level design.
World map level select.
Can replay levels.
It’s a marmite game for sure, you’re either going to love it or hate it.
The game gets very reflex-heavy.
Satisfying game loop.
Big boss battles.
A lot of replay value.
The drill can be rotated 360 degrees.