Last fall we had the chance to preview Pepper Grinder, when it had no release date in an earlier state. One quick look at a trailer and players can immediately grasp the appeal of its spin on platforming that is easy to learn and hard to master. With a few more months of development under its belt, Ahr Ech and trusty publisher Devolver Digital are ready to put the demo in the hands of eager gamers who are ready to engage in “crunchy” gameplay with Pepper drilling through any environment she can break through. Is this demo worth downloading?

The hook of Pepper Grinder can be felt within its first few seconds: Pepper wields a massive drill that can break through soft surfaces with ease. This means that you will traverse levels by gliding through dirt, water, and anything else that the drill can handle.

You’ll have to master this simple mechanic if you’re aiming to collect each level’s five hidden coins, or want to tackle the time attack times that are tougher than they look. Pepper Grinder is forgiving as you come to grips with the drill, with plenty of checkpoints and health pickups, but its puzzles require some serious brainpower to ensure the gameplay never overstays its welcome.

The demo for Pepper Grinder includes three levels, with a particularly steep difficulty curve in its third offering. The game never felt too hard, but at the same time, the completionist in me found it satisfying to seek out all the coins and narrow down the best time. Even though each level averages at around five minutes, proficient pepper grinders will be searching every nook and cranny for longer as they optimize times and grab every gem. With nary a second of frustration or feeling stuck, those looking to breeze through the game will enjoy the experience, too.

Since I last touched Pepper Grinder in September, there’s a marginal amount of polish and fluidity that I can feel improved over the original playthrough. No glitches, oversights, or anything out of the ordinary should stick out to those trying the demo. Devolver Digital’s typical mark of quality is consistent in Pepper Grinder, and it’s impressive that Ahr Ech is behind the majority of the title. With @XEECEEVEVO providing a satisfying soundtrack and ports helmed by MP2 Games. Solo dev projects are massive undertakings, so give this tiny team their flowers if you try this out.

It might only last 30 minutes or so, but when Pepper Grinder welcomes you with a revving engine and you tangibly feel how good the game looks in its trailers, you’ll be locked in and skating through its environments with glee. Indie platformers still going strong after all these years is a delight, as there’s so much creativity that can be pumped into the genre to keep players coming back. Pepper Grinder is no different and this short-but-sweet demo is certainly worth the time of anyone with even a passing interest.

A PC copy of Pepper Grinder was provided by Devolver Digital for the purpose of this preview.

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