In fact, describing Pepper Grinder as aplatformeris already underselling it.

A bit like Ecco The Dolphin, but as a tiny metal Jaws.

It’s not all churning up the landscape, mind.

A tiny woman with a drill approaches a giant blue cyclops in Pepper Grinder

The key thing, though, is that they never feel pandering or gratuitous when they arrive.

But taken as a whole, three-to-four-hour experience?

I wouldn’t say they’re devastating enough to spoil the otherwise immaculate performance of its drill work.

A woman with a drill stands before a magma pool with a trail of jewels in the dirt above in Pepper Grinder

This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by publishers Devolver Digital.

A woman attacks a gassy bug near two large steaks in Pepper Grinder

A woman prepares to fire herself out of a cannon in Pepper Grinder

A giant beetle with two grinders for hands attacks a cargo ship in Pepper Grinder

A woman stands before an icy waterfall with an arc of jewels in the air in Pepper Grinder

A woman uses a grapple swing to avoid thorny brambles in Pepper Grinder

A woman uses a giant capsule machine to gain more health in Pepper Grinder