It May Sound Like a Strange Combination but in My Friend Pedro, They Fit Together Nicely
I was immediately interested in My Friend Pedro when I saw it during the 2018 Nintendo Direct at E3. After all, it didn’t seem like the type of game you would traditionally see on a Nintendo console so it stood out. Fast forward 9 months and I had the chance to play the demo at PAX East. After that, it became one of my most anticipated games of 2019.
DeadToast Entertainment did a fantastic job with My Friend Pedro. The short levels and scoreboards make for good replay. The controls take some getting used, but once you have them down you can really have some fun eliminating goons, thugs and haters. The simplistic yet well executed graphics make you focus on playing the game, which is really the most important thing.
My Friend Pedro combines platforming and shooting in an unique way. It isn’t just jumping from different levels and off walls or simply shooting your enemies. Rather, you can use your environment in creative ways to get around and unleash a hail of gunfire. You can make bullets ricochet off various things from steel plates to frying pans. There are also zip lines and hanging hooks you can use to create momentum to fly through the air like a ballerina while simultaneously spraying lead at goons.
My Friend Pedro is what you would get if a John Wick movie and the music video for ‘Turn Down for What’ had a child.
You can tell DeadToast Entertainment really wanted to make a game that felt like a Hollywood action movie. The split shot is one of the most interesting mechanics in My Friend Pedro. On the Nintendo Switch, the split shot uses the ZL and ZR buttons. You can push the ZL button to lock one of your weapons onto a spot and then move the other weapon independently of that gun. You then fire both weapons by pushing ZR. This function is key to flipping around and shooting at the same time. The acrobatics in My Friend Pedro feel so smooth and natural. There is also a slow motion function which adds to the cinematic experience.
Flipping around and shooting in slow motion is a lot of fun!
The levels are short and there are a lot of them. At the end of each level, you are assigned a letter grade based on how well you did. You can check out the leader boards for each level and compare how you have done with both your friends (who may or may not be named Pedro) and the rest of the world. I really like this aspect as I think it will do several things. First, it will get people to replay the levels to see if they can get creative and squeeze a few more points out. It will also have the additional effect of creating friendly competition to see who can get the best score on a level. I think it will also be something that the spreed running community will embrace.
The story in My Friend Pedro isn’t a big part of the appeal. I don’t want to ruin any of it, but it’s not the why I like My Friend Pedro. The dialogue and characters are interesting. Pedro is the talking banana which is also your conscience. Perfectly normal, right? He tells you to kill people so his is no Jiminy Cricket. If you are into strange stories that don’t seem to make much sense, My Friend Pedro is for you!
My Friend Pedro looks great and has music that fits the game play perfectly.
I really like the graphics in My Friend Pedro. They aren’t flashy, but they are very well done. This is especially evident when you use your ability to slow down time. You move slowly and smoothly and it gives you a chance to see the acrobatics in detail. The slow motion movement adds to the feeling that you are watching a Hollywood movie. The music is reminiscent of the music you would hear in an action sequence of a summer blockbuster. The simplistic sounds of gunshots is nice because it’s not over bearing. The music and sound effects pair together and add to the atmosphere of My Friend Pedro so well.
I find myself going back to play My Friend Pedro even after I finished it. I want to increase my personal best scores and see what I can do differently from one run through to the next. Simply put, My Friend Pedro is a lot of fun to play. I played it on the Nintendo Switch where the short levels fit well with the portability of the system. You don’t have to commit a lot of time to get something done. It fits in well with the other games that Devolver Digital has published. Overall, this is a fantastic game and one you will want to play if you have either a Nintendo Switch or PC. For incredible game play and potential endless (and addicting) replay, I give My Friend Pedro a 4.5/5.
