PEPPERED

The art is really lovely, the music is wonderful, and the writing and characters strike a nice balance between melancholy and humor. The story as a whole is interesting and enjoyable to follow, and the gameplay offers enough variety to keep things from getting stale. If you go for one of the longer, full endings, the game takes about 3 to 4 hours , which felt like the perfect length. It also makes replays more manageable when going for the other 10 endings. Those other endings can be much shorter and quicker to reach, so not every one is a full 3 to 4-hour journey
I have done all the endings and got 100% in the game and i pretty much enjoyed all my runs really, bar some moments where you had to be, well kinda of a d*ck to some characters.
I'm really surprised this game didn't take off more honestly, this really deserves more attention but it's getting so little coverage and absolutely no attention from any sort of youtuber or streamer person.
Main and really only big complaint i got is that we need to be able to skip animation segments in cut scenes, we can skip dialog but if there's a dramatic animation playing between dialog bits then you gotta wait, which can test ones patience when you start trying to do new runs for different endings.
So yeah this is really great , like I really recommend this a lot, got it for 12 bucks and it was so worth it.

funny dialogue... furries... they/them protagonist... multiple endings depending on your actions...
Close enough. Welcome back, Undertale.

A lovely little platformer about the inevitability of death. Peppered had me hooked after only 10 minutes, and I went for every single ending. If you enjoy platformers, branching narratives, pixel art, or just a good story, I can recommend Peppered.

I enjoyed the various mini games within the game very much. I only got 3 endings before what I'm assuming is the "main win" ending, and don't intend to play for more (though I did do *one* more out of curiosity, it was frustrating because I had to replay an entire level from the start to get to it, and the additional ending wasn't even fun), but it was 4.5 hours that I enjoyed. At this point I'm confident that I would enjoy it *less* if I continued to play for additional endings, but I don't have to, and if I'd found them organically I'd probably have appreciated them, so yay.
The inspirational dark humor of ending 2 appealed to me very much, and the general overarching theme of "don't spend your whole life doing things you don't enjoy" is a delight (maybe it inspired me to not continue playing for additional endings when I don't want to!)

This game is INCREDIBLE. It's been sooo long since i've played an ACTUAL good game recently and this just completely blew me out of the water. I love the gameplay, art, mechanics, music, and best of all the story OOH the story is soo good. My favourite character is Theodore but i love the rest of the characters as well. The game is also really funny in some scenes too. It feels like somebody actually made a game they loved and are proud of and released it, and i'm so glad they did.

Let me start by saying that if you're curious about this game, you *need* to play the demo first; not that the little taste of what this game offers is required, but rather the ending of it: you're treated to a quick tete a tete with one of the more charismatic characters who lays your cards on the table for you: "So, you've chosen to save the world. Are you *sure* you can do this? You fumbled (event) - that could have been avoided. You died (exact number) of times. You lost your first boss fight. You *do* realise every one of these will determine if you can pull this off, don't you...?"
And *that* is where Peppered really grabs you: it's in the title that it's an existential platformer and that every choice will effect the outcome. And. They. Mean it. Fumble something early and it will come back to hurt you later. Do good deeds and you might be rewarded when you really need it.
Gameplay wise, it's a gorgeous little adventure. The music is a soothing mix of chillhop, tense action and juxtaposed with the absurd moments where the world around you stops because you've said the wrong thing. Oops. Or you've bolted past a stop sign and the more law-abiding citizens (and bullets) will actually stop, seething that you're now out of reach.
Beyond being a fun platformer there's an impressive amount of detail in it. Some areas may never be discovered unless you accidentally fall into them and realise that the world you live in is full of people who have valid reasons for wanting you to fail in your adventure. You play as the first criminal in *decades* and if you examine a container of discard plastics, the tooltip reads: "It's public enemy #2 - congratulations on overthrowing the juggernaut!"
Beyond the actual jumping, skidding, dialogue choices and branching paths, I have to stress the key word in the title: existential - to exist. To emphasise freedom of choice. To experience life and conscious awareness. Most of all, we tend to think of it as making us stop and think: Disco Elysium and Persona 3 are maybe the first two I think of when someone asks me "which game really makes you stop and think about things?" and now, nestled away between them, is this little gem that deserves more attention and praise. Without spoiling any of the branching paths and *main* endings, it's full of moments and qoutes that make you stop and think.
"It would be nice to go back and try again. It really would..."
"Sometimes the hardest part is starting. I hope you can start over."
"You could have *done* this. Maybe you needed more time. Maybe you made the wrong choice when it mattered. But it doesn't matter now, does it?"
Is Peppered on the same level as one of the most thought provoking works of fiction like Disco? No. Is it closer to a cute, Mario-esque platformer with bright characters and a sense of urgency? Certainly. But Mario will never hit you in the breadbasket:
"Throughout my life, I've always had very little patience for cowards. There is *nothing* more wasteful than a life lived in fear. And yet, what else but fear could explain this purgatory I've authored?"
11/10. I adore this game.

I don't normally write reviews for games, but this one was good enough I felt I had to. The characters are charming, the story is enthralling, and the gags and jokes are genuinely hilarious. I currently have 7/11 endings and am going to return tomorrow for the remaining 4 endings. The golfing section starts to drag at parts but the consistent addition of new elements keeps it feeling fresh enough to remain enjoyable. 10/10 game, highly recommended. If you can afford this game, I believe you should buy it.
Edit: Returned for 100%, totally worthwhile.