Punish the protectors of your sister's killer in brutal beat-'em-up Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint

Twenty years ago, a brother and sister were kidnapped at the hands of a serial killer, and although the boy somehow escaped from their clutches, the girl's fate was sealed. Now a grown up hard-boiled detective, Mr. Peppermint is on a quest for vengeance against this murderer and the criminal gang protecting them in the appropriately named the Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint.

As seen during the Freedom Games montage at the Future Games Show, this revenge is enacted as a side-scrolling beat-'em-up with chunky pixellated characters reminiscent of old school arcades. However, the tone is quickly set when the fists (and blood) starts flying, as the action is nothing short of brutal.

You can use punches to pummel enemies into submission, or grab nearby items such as chairs and bottles to turn them into makeshift melee weapons. The backgrounds also come into play during combat, whether you're swinging from a light fitting to launch an aerial attack or impaling a goon on a nearby meat hook. The tight controls let you string together impressive combos and perform stern executions, as you fight your way up through the crime organization.

However, there's a twist, as all of this bloodshed takes its toll on the psyche. As the punishments you dish out increase in brutality and your lust for revenge grows, your mind begins to unravel and the story becomes muddled. As confusion sets in and you realize you can no longer completely trust what you are seeing, one question rises to the surface – who is the real killer here?

If you're ready to deliver some bloody justice, then Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint is due to launch on PC via Steam, Epic Games, and GOG by the end of 2023.

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.

Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 500 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.