When I first saw it Pepper millI was impressed by how bold it seemed. It was this loud, kinetic, almost volatile game that felt like it was tapping into a kind of chaos that other, more sanitized platformers rejected. This was accomplished primarily by putting a big drill in the player’s hands and urging them to screw everything up. Finally a game that speaks my language. Pepper mill largely delivers on that promise of fast-paced platforming, digging, and managed mayhem, but it takes a while to get to the most exciting parts of the game, and then before you know it, it’s over.
Pepper mill begins with your character washing up on the shores of a goblin-infested land. You’ll quickly get the greatest exercise known to man and let you loose on the hordes. Along the way, you’ll learn to dig, pick up a grappling hook, and get various attachments for your drill that significantly change your abilities, including a machine gun and eventually even a ‘Mech. Pepper mill starts off fairly modestly before turning into a loud and unhinged journey. At its core, however, it’s a platformer based on some really great mechanics, and luckily it has them Really
Pepper millMovement is the key to why it works so well. The ability to burrow into certain surfaces and eject yourself out the other end never gets old over the course of the game’s four-hour runtime. My finger rarely came away from the trigger that started the drill, and I think I spent more time in the ground than above it. Boring and flowing through the ground as if it were water became second nature and the very best parts of it Pepper mill Lean into it. My favorite level – a third world bonus level – simply asks you to maintain momentum as you fly through a long corridor between falling blocks of ice, and it’s easily one of the most exciting levels I’ve played this year. As it delves into the basics of dopamine trafficking and challenges you to keep your cool in the face of chaos, Pepper mill is an exciting platformer.
Pepper millThe biggest problem, oddly enough, is also one of its strengths: its brevity. The first stages and worlds laid the foundation so thoroughly that by the time I got to the back half I felt like a seasoned pro. Actually, Pepper mill spends so much time walking you through each step In the end, he’s a little hesitant to add more layers when it matters most. As soon as a new mechanic is introduced, such as sprinklers forming rapidly dissolving platforms in magma, the game moves on to the next, so you don’t get the exciting development that you sometimes find in games like this, where new elements interact with one another be combined Create a feeling of constant escalation and change. Although the final act is explosive and the climax includes some crowd-pleasing scenes, the game ends before there is that one “aha” moment where everything falls into place.
Some Pepper millThe detours and mechanics feel additive, but others feel a little destabilizing, especially when it comes to combat. For example, in the occasional level you’ll get a weapon attachment that completely turns the game into a side-scrolling shooter, but rarely is there an occasion that requires a complicated strategy and plan of attack. While admittedly exciting, turning into a sometimes stationary turret goes against the game’s strengths. Actually, you can say that about most “fights”. Pepper mill, which is pretty minimal throughout and is often over before you even notice it, as just cranking up the drill and aiming it at most enemies is enough. It honestly feels like an afterthought.
Most of the time you have to extricate yourself from the ground – sometimes with a boost tied to one of the face buttons – and then simply race through a level through flying sentries, bugs on the ground and the stray goblin miner. Other times, you’re locked in a room until you take out these nests that spawn enemies, breaking the momentum of the game for a lackluster encounter that just makes me want to rush through as quickly and efficiently as possible. Enemies often feel more like another surface waiting for you to pierce, rather than a separate and complementary obstacle.
Pepper millThe boss fights of , save for the annoyingly inconsistent first one, are respectable encounters that attempt to challenge that notion, but also serve as a reminder that the game is at its best when the player has to do anything but fight. For example, the kinetic sequence leading up to the third world boss fight is exciting. However, the battle itself that closes the chapter falls short of his plan. The game’s first and last boss fights are a chore, but the middle few seem like a good attempt to combine movement and combat more successfully. To parrot an annoying game writing phrase that feels pretty true in this case: the combat is a bit of a mixed bag Pepper mill.
With an extremely satisfying runtime of around four hours, Pepper mill is ultimately a wonderful little platformer to spend an evening or afternoon with. Even now, I (who almost never revisits a game, let alone one I review) have booted it back up to dive into one of its bite-sized levels because it feels so great to just move through it. Dig. To drill. I probably won’t tackle any of them Pepper millThe levels are again action-oriented, except for the big finale perhaps, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot that doesn’t go right. I just wish there was more of what works.
Pepper mill is now available for PC and Switch.