PEPPERED: an existential platformer is a game that consistently surprised me, not just in its gameplay, but in its voice. Each stage introduces a new gimmick and iterates upon it in different ways, but doesn't linger on any one for too long, keeping it fresh without making it too complex.

But where PEPPERED really shines is in its writing. More than once, I found myself sucker-punched by a line of dialogue or a moment of absurdity that had me pausing just to laugh. It's the kind of humor that doesn't really beg for your attention, it's just waiting to catch you off guard.

The humor does a lot of heavy lifting to get you invested for when it delivers its more existential themes. Office burnout, fear of responsibility, and the numb inertia of living your own life, oftentimes wrapped in sardonics or otherwise deadpan delivery. I'll admit that some of these cultural anxieties are so pervasive nowadays that their impact felt dulled. The messaging doesn't seem to seek to do much to evoke anything than a general sense of optimism for the future, which falls flat for me.

Other things fail to hit the mark as well. The games endings, taken in their totality, are a particular sticking point. The bad conclusions lead down such roads as death, enslavement, and ending right where you began, while the good conclusions don't offer any kind of definitive resolution. There's always a loing sense of dread or uncertainty which (while thematically consistent with the game's core) also undercuts the satisfaction of replaying routes or pushing for 100% completion. One ending in particular (locked behind a slightly difficult requirement to never die during one of the stages) is identical to a bad end save for a trophy handed to you as a consolation prize.

There are other rough edges, too. Red coins, while seemingly collectible, serve no meaningful gameplay function except to guide your attention to relevant points of interest, and sometimes even meaninglessly so. A platforming mechanic is never tutorialized (as far as I can tell), which involves crouch-jumping and slide-jumping, only crucial in one or two places but critical nonetheless. It gives the impression that PEPPERED was released 90% done, with a few ideas that didn't quite make it to the finish line.

Still, PEPPERED is a shoe-in for me thanks to its wit, artistic direction, tight platforming, and emotional sincerity. It's not perfect, but it's bold in all the right ways. I look forward to seeing what the team drops next!

I really like this game and I plan to play more of it despite getting the best and cannon ending first. And I wont have anyone say otherwise. Also Star Thief x Merdeka is cannon and they had 4 kids after ending 9. I actually liked Golf a bit. At first I didn't but still. Also the music is really good is the sound track going to come to steam?

Also Merdeka is better than Judy Hops and whould win a fight vs her.

I wasn't enamored with the game but then I got to golf. 10/10 would putt again.