PEPPERED: An Existential Platformer Explores the Meaninglessness of Existence

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Mostly Games and Black Soup have teamed up to announce PEPPERED: An Existential Platformer for PC via Steam on April 7th of this year. Besides jumping across various platforms, this game also brings a dark existential comedy. The plot explores themes of responsibility, regret, and absurd consequences, all wrapped in black humor and philosophical subtext.

At the center of the story is a character who, facing societal apathy, decides to save the world but is labeled a terrorist by the police, the mob, and the media. Every choice, every boss fight, and every failure shapes a branching narrative with multiple endings, where there is no option to retry; every decision is final and irreversibly changes the course of the plot.

The gameplay relies on fast running, jumping, and solving quirky puzzles, along with challenging boss fights. The pixel-art visuals, rich soundtrack, and an atmosphere that oscillates between farcical and philosophical undertones make Peppered appealing to fans of narratively strong platformers like Celeste or roguelite titles with elements of permanent consequence like The Binding of Isaac.

Mostly Games first announced Peppered in 2020 through devlogs, and a Kickstarter campaign was launched on October 5, 2022, to secure funds for further development. The official release date was announced along with a trailer shown at the Dames 4 Games Spring Showcase. Given that there is only one month until the release, Peppered will not have an Early Access phase but will be released as a fully polished experience.