PEPPERED

In an immortal world where a scientist has locked the God of Death in a box and nobody can die anymore, a nameless office intern is the only one determined to stop the impending collapse. Society does not thank him for it: it calls the police, turns fellow citizens against him and brands him a terrorist.

PEPPERED is loud, brazen, absurdly funny and yet profound. What sets it apart is the radical fusion of gameplay and narrative. As in BioShock Infinite, the logic of the world becomes the gameplay: because no one dies permanently, there are no safety measures, and one’s own death sometimes becomes the only way forward. Decisions are never merely cosmetic. Every boss fight, every failure, every action permanently alters characters and tone – eleven different endings.

Beneath the chaos lies existential depth: what does morality mean without mortality? Is immortality a gift or a curse? The tone is reminiscent of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams: dry humour, ranging from bureaucracy in the face of the apocalypse to a heroes’ golf course after the apocalypse. In the second act, the game shifts from a platformer to a Worms-style golf section, where existential dialogues with the sidekick contrast with the action. With a strong soundtrack (breakbeat to jazz). All this from a fearless three-person studio – a bold, philosophical trip in a rabbit costume à la Donnie Darko that lingers in the mind.

The DCP Jury, March 2026