I really like Corn Kidz 64's style. It's art and it's soundtrack are fantastic. Its moveset is also feels great, it's a good mix of classics and fresh stuff and it all feels perfectly suited to the character. The platforming physics feel good and I like that it does have a good bit of challenge towards the end. Overall it's a blast to play and look at moment to moment.

What I don't like is the level design and the structure/ progression of the game itself. For one, I wandered around the second area for a few hours not really knowing where I was supposed to be going after I already explored most of the nooks and crannies, which works and is fun in games like Dark Souls or fellow 2023 indie 3D platformer Pseudoregalia but in this it gets frustrating not even knowing where you're supposed to be going. Which is disappointing cause some of the more difficult sections and some of the more abstract environmental puzzles are really interesting. The second major issue is the structure of the game itself. You get an intro area, one large area taking up 80% or so of the games time, then a final challenging area. It's just paced so poorly. It's not the length that's the problem, especially at it's price. It just kinda feels like the game is just starting, it honestly feels like an intro to a larger game. I would love to see a sequel to expanded upon everything, cause there really is a lot to like here. Even if it doesn't all come together.

I can't figure out why I only like Pepper Grinder instead of loving it. It feels so tailor made for me. It's a nice little 2D platformer with shades of Donkey Kong Country inspiration that has a banger soundtrack and nice visuals. Its drill is a fantastic central mechanic that is used in a nice variety of ways. Almost every level has a new mechanic, but not in a way where they feel disconnected, there's still a nice sequential building of ideas. The drill itself is a really unique traversal method and weapon and it feels great to use for the most part. And it's last two bosses I thought were fantastic.

I really only have nitpicks with Pepper Grinder, it could be a bit longer, it's platforming not using the drill is just ok with it's jumps feeling really short, and I would say its worlds feel a bit too true to platformer tradition forest-y, fire, ice being the first three but the fire and ice especially use the drill in really interesting ways and the fourth world is like spooky, swampy, sunken city (obviously not traditional). So that's not really a big negative. Pepper Grinder really doesn't have many faults but ultimately I'm still left leaving Pepper Grinder liking, not loving it.