Pepper Grinder Is The Unofficial Drill Dozer Sequel We’ve Been Dreaming Of

Trust Devolver Digital to deliver something pretty unusual — and fun-looking. One of the surprise announcements from today’s Indie World Showcase was Pepper Grinder, a fantastic-looking pixel art sidescroller from developer Ahr Ech. And our little Game Boy Advance hearts were beating when we saw just how Pepper, the shipwrecked, swash-buckling pirate got around these levels — with a drill!

Yes! Our hearts were racing as we watched Pepper zip and zoom around with her trusty power tool. This is the high-speed sequel to Drill Dozer we’ve always wanted, and now we’re getting it in 2023! She’s even named her drill — Grinder.

Here’s a summary of the game from the eShop page:

“Pepper Grinder 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 pulverises 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…”

Essentially, this looks like Drill Dozer with Sonic Colours‘ Drill Wisp mechanic. To get around you’ll need to dig deep and get down in the mud to solve puzzles and fight enemies. There are stunning-looking pixel art insects, crystallised cogs, and narwhals (maybe??) using rubber rings to navigate your way past in this lovely side-scrolling action platformer.

What did you think of Pepper Grinder during today’s Indie World? Drill down in the comments and let us know!