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"Relax… You have worked hard. It's fine to take a little break sometimes."
- Pedro the Banana


💻 Description:

My Friend Pedro is an interesting knife-kicking, weapon-switching platform shooter with exceptional replay value that can lead to countless hours of pure mayhem. Developed by DeadToast Entertainment, the game integrates fast-paced mechanics into excellent worldbuilding that regrettably flew under many people's radars. It is a violent ballet about friendship and solitude that no one cares about, with a solid backbone that lets you forgive some of its flaws.


📖 Setting:

Summary
You wake up as a faceless, nameless character that apparently follows the orders of a sentient banana called Pedro. Without questioning the morality of your deeds, you are told to wreak havoc in your path. Why would you follow the commands of a fruit in the first place, well we live in strange times…
Story
My friend Pedro focuses heavily on the gameplay aspect rather than the storytelling. The plot feels stale and somewhat boring, with occasional quirky jokes thrown here and there that leave a bad taste in your mouth. There are times that it even comments on its peculiar humour, satirising, for example, some unoriginal aspects found in other titles of the same genre and immediately proceeding to make the same mistakes. If you already know that something does not work, why on earth would you add it to the final product?


🕹️ Gameplay:

Though it is not the main plot nor the characters that shine the most, the gameplay mechanics redeem the whole experience. The game follows a simple learning curve that is hard to master. It consists of some traditional tropes, from parkour stunts to barrel rolls, as well as many new, refreshing features that I will get to in a minute.
Combat
The action sequences are the domain in which the game excels. Even though they do not add anything amazing to the standard shooter mix, their implementation is one of the best I have ever seen. The wild stuns you can perform mid-air when doing, for example, a wall jump while at the same time shooting in both directions are not preanimated, leading towards many opportunities and badass scenarios. I am particularly fond of the ability to aim at two things simultaneously while dual-wielding because it lets me kill my foes easily and in a stylish manner.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2900151372
Toolkit
Shotguns, Uzis, pistols, and ricocheting bullets—everything can be used to your advantage, provided that you execute your enemies with finesse. The game is made up of a ton of awesome moments where you will be encouraged to combine acrobatics with different weapon combinations. Beyond the bullets and the stuns My friend Pedro is also filled with interactive objects destined to create more havoc and destruction. From elevators to ziplines and even frying puns, there are many possibilities to unleash hell, limited only by your imagination. I still cannot forget my expression when I decapitated an NPC and used its body parts as projectiles—it was simply flawless.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2900152233
Momentum
All this spinning, jumping, and bullet dodging can be tricky sometimes, especially when you are inside a room filled with enemies. The focus bar saves the day in this case by slowing down the pace and providing much-needed space to calm the nerves and steady the aim. The focus ability has a certain duration and can be replenished by executing your foes. When the action amps up to a frenzy, momentum is your strongest ally. The goal of each sequence is to score as many points as possible, as fast as possible. Every time you kill an enemy, the combo bar located in the middle of the screen will fill up. By performing creative executions, the bar multiplies points. You are given a rank at the end of each level based on your total score, which is shared on a global leaderboard. This feature encourages repetition and creative thinking, adding extra spice to the overall mix.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2900151743
Sections
The levels are structured in such a way that they let you experiment with the environment. There are frying pans hanging in the walls that can ricochet bullets, explosive barrels hidden behind crates that can cause havoc, tables that can be used as cover, and many more. Later in the experience, you will also be using different transportation methods, including skateboards and motorcycles, which opens the door to even more shenanigans. The world of Pedro is full of surprises and unexpected moments that keep the flow interesting and interactive. Of course, you may find a familiar pattern here and there, but nothing feels repetitive as each level provides a new spin for different styles of play.
Difficulty
Pedro features three main difficulty modes: Easy, Hard, and Bananas, respectively. In my opinion, the latter is the way the game is meant to be played, as everything else falls into the "baby" category. The gameplay loop appears to be more concerned with testing your creativity by performing juicy kills in a chain order than with completing the chapters in a timely manner.


👁‍🗨 Visuals:

The scenes are sometimes colourful, sometimes dark, and full of details, with the cartoonish style adding a special touch to the almost complete package. I find the animations to be the cornerstone of the whole experience. The stunning moves are the primary factor that perfectly connects the gunplay and in-game mechanics. Rolling and running may look a little bit odd, but nothing can compare to the overall presentation. Thanks to the thoughtful initiative of the developers, you can even save your most badass moments into a gif after every level.

🎧 Audio:

The gun sounds are spot on; they produce a clear, crunchy, distinctive noise that satisfied me immensely. The same, however, cannot be said about the silent dialogue, which consists primarily of a background sound effect. As far as the music is concerned, the beats are excellent, filled with experimental instruments and even industrial sounds, including a siren.


🗃️ Side Notes:

The leaderboard alone does not provide a genuine sense of completion, often leading to frustration and disappointment. On many occasions, it took me hours to achieve an almost perfect score just to get an S with Pedro’s poker face next to it in the end sequence. It would be better if the game rewarded my effort with a skin or a special collectible. On another note, I believe the implementation of player vs. player mode would elevate the experience, but that’s just something to dream about.


📋 Verdict:

My Friend Pedro is a bar of chocolate. It looks terrible outside, and it tastes amazing, but under no circumstances are you going to consume it every day. It is a small game that lets you embark on a chaotic John Wick adventure filled with adrenaline-pumping sequences and, of course, bananas.

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