Pepper's Adventures in Time – What's the Worst That Could Happen?

Written by Will Moczarski

When we left Pepper last time she was just getting ready to mosey around the small settlement of Philadelphia in the year of 1764. There’s a man called poor Richard (after Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack) clapped into wooden stocks who tells me all about Benjamin Franklin’s strange transformation of late. The once wise man has now turned towards foolishness and frivolity, and Richard wonders why. Poor Richard has a very dry mouth and asks Pepper for her help. Naturally, I pick up a dipper conveniently placed nearby, fill it up, and help Richard to some water. I then free him from his conundrum and Richard is very thankful, although he suspiciously states that he must now hurry back to “B--, er, back to my family.” Does he mean Britain? Ben? Did I help the wrong guy?

We're talking about Boston, right?

Because the game is targeted at kids the inventory is very streamlined. Pepper decides that she has no use for the dipper anymore and puts it right back. A soldier then comes along and accuses me of helping a criminal to flee. Pepper tells the man to "chill out" but he won’t have any of it. He cockily informs me that he’s the King’s own watchman and proceeds to grab Pepper and handles her quite violently, especially considering she’s a child. Our trusty dog Lockjaw decides to get in there and bites the watchman but in the end we both end up trapped inside a wooden building. The watchman is walking to and fro outside and we can’t do anything without him telling us to stop, prompting humorous and snide remarks from Pepper. 

The Young Freelance Police Chronicles

After a fair bit of clicking on everything I find that I can not only pick up a hammer but also use it to pull some nails loose from the window frame. I can also pick up a rather large canvas and hang it in front of the window so the watchman can’t monitor me anymore. He does comment on that but Pepper cleverly tells him that she’s changing clothes and does not want to be disturbed. I can then finally move one of the boxes but when Pepper finds nothing behind it she gives up for the moment and decides to rest. 

Rest for the Weary

As once before, the role of protagonist is handed over to Lockjaw, and I now have only doggish actions at my command. Lockjaw will sniff the ground and find out that it’s soft. He can then dig a tunnel, prompting Pepper to resume control and allowing both of us to escape. We emerge in a back alley. A clothesline is stretched between two buildings but Pepper cannot reach any of the garments. Also, I can still see the watchman patrolling back and forth on the main road. 

No bones before supper, Lockjaw!

The solution is to pick up a bone and throw it up to the clothesline. If you pick the right two pieces of clothing Lockjaw will jump up and fetch them. Like the dipper, the bone is subsequently removed from the game, keeping my inventory clean. This one gets stuck on the roof. 

Tidying up the Inventory

Pepper will dress like a little colonial boy while she disguises Lockjaw as a little baby. Unfortunately, the watchman adores babies and tries to get close to him. He does note that the baby is quite ugly but doesn’t quite recognise it from before. Another cut scene ensues when the guard turns his back. A cat crosses the screen, and Lockjaw can’t help himself but dashes right after it. Before the watchman can catch him, however, a chariot arrives and stops right in the middle of the whole scene. A spoiled girl called Ima jumps out followed by one mean-looking general going by the name of Pugh as well as his personal secretary Percy. When the watchman joins the scene to inform General Pugh that the dog belongs to a felon, the secretary retorts that the dog is clearly dead. He proceeds by quoting the famous Dead Parrot sketch by Monty Python but none of the others are convinced that lockjaw is indeed pining for the fjords. It doesn’t matter because Pugh’s own daughter desperately wants to take “the doggie” home with her. The game’s narrator then informs me that Pepper is about to get caught and this is where I “die” for the first couple of times. If Pepper lets herself get caught by the watchman at this point your evil uncle Fred wins. The Star-Spangled Banner above the White House transforms into the Union Jack and the eponymous national anthem changes to “Rule Britannia” mid-tune. It’s a fabulous game over screen if I ever saw one. Also, Pepper gives a hint to the player how they’d better approach the situation next time. 

WON! (PAL version)

After two or three attempts I understand that I simply need to go back to the alley and no-one will figure out that I’m the felon in disguise. I really don’t like adventure game puzzles based on movement but this one is hardly unfair. In another cut scene the carriage speeds across the map of rural Philadelphia. Some speech bubbles pop up to inform me that Lockjaw is indeed in the carriage and trying to fight his way out of there, biting Percy in the process. Pepper is left behind and promises to save Lockjaw. The game world then opens up for the first time and I have multiple locations to explore. Before that happens, though, I have to pass the first quiz. Benjamin Franklin (holding a kite) and Lockjaw stand in front of a whiteboard that looks a lot like the “new invention” screen from Civilization. The game poses four questions that can be answered easily if you know your stuff, used the “truth” button a lot, or read the manual carefully. The questions are not too easy but not too difficult either if you paid attention. That, however, is necessary. Once I’ve answered all questions correctly, lightning strikes Ben’s kite and both him and the dog are electrocuted. Is that a good thing? It must be because thus ends act 1.

City of brotherly love

Coming up next time: In act 2, “Pepper explores Philadelphia”. Because this is a game for beginners the game outright tells me that the classic exploration phase comes next as it so often does in adventure games. My "objectives" are to meet the colonists and Ben Franklin. "Things to look for" are British taxation acts, Millinery Shops, Ben Franklin’s influence on the Colonial Post Office, the Penn Family, and potholes. Any one of these topics may come up in the quiz. I’m already done with act 2 but I’ve decided to split the post in two. Apologies for the short entry – as usual, life got in the way.

It's more like an F-type Jag...

Session time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes