My Friend Pedro on Nintendo Switch
There is no shortage of great action-platformers in the market today, so when another one comes along, it better bring the heat. Luckily, the folks at Deadtoast Entertainment’s latest game My Friend Pedro puts its foot on the gas and never lets up.
From the beginning of the game until the end credits, the over-the-top action and platforming continually build upon itself, forcing the player to use all of the tools at their disposal. The more stylish the kill is, the more points you’ll be rewarded so the only limit is your own creativity.
Sure, you can just hide behind cover and pick enemies off from afar, but why not come front-flipping through a pane of glass on a skateboard with a fully loaded shotgun? My Friend Pedro rewards being crazy and trying to outdo your last kill.
The game is so focused on creativity that in the end level screen there is a small highlight clip of your most stylish kill for players to watch on loop and revel in their accomplishment.
In turn, each level is designed to challenge the player with platforming puzzles and strategic enemy placement to push the boundaries of how clever they can be eviscerated.
The game revolves around a system called focus, which allows the player to slow down time and create moments straight out of an action film. This gauge can be refilled by killing enemies and chaining together kills in quick succession.
Using focus in tandem with your weapons, wall jumping, and kicking items makes every situation ripe for exciting combinations. My Friend Pedro consistently introduces new weapons and challenges, so no idea ever begins to feel stale or overused.
However, the environments in the game mostly consist of industrial warehouses or sewers. Only a select few areas are visually distinct or even appealing. For a game that keeps ramping up, it would have been nice for the environments to do the same.
But while the environments may look a little dull, the soundtrack does wonder in bringing them to life. Heavy electronic beats match the tone of the action perfectly, giving players a great soundtrack to their kills.
The story in My Friend Pedro certainly takes a back seat to the gameplay and never gets in the way. The titular character Pedro is your floating banana companion similar to Navi from The Legend of Zelda games. In fact, they even poke fun a Navi a few times during the game.
Pedro finds you knocked out in a basement and quickly turns you into an action hero hunting down a high powered figure who has put a bounty on your head.
The game is full of self-aware quips and the sort of witty cynicism found in other Devolver Digital games, so if you’re a fan of that, you’re in luck. None of the humor felt hamfisted. It strikes a great balance.
My Friend Pedro is short, only taking a few hours to complete on normal difficulty. There are two harder difficulties for players to try and master, which will give you bonus points towards your end score to place higher on the leaderboards.
In terms of replay value, there isn’t anything substantial outside of higher difficulty options. Going back through levels to try and get a higher score is all there is.
That being said, however, My Friend Pedro is an excellent pickup that justifies the price. If you’re looking for an action game similar to the absurd action of games like John Woo’s Stranglehold, this is an easy recommendation.
Score: 4/5 – Great
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