My Friend Pedro Review

I've beaten this game multiple times over the years. I played it on PC where it first came out then twice on PS4 and now again on PS5. My Friend Pedro is no doubt a short game but it is so fuffling and enjoyable during those few hours that it lasts. It has become one of if my go to short game to play if I want a quick and super fun to play every few years. It manages to get moment to moment game design down so well during it's short run time.

My Friend Pedro is to bullet time shooters like Max Payne and FEAR what Mark of the Ninja is to stealth games like Tenchu, Splinter Cell and Thief.

It takes a genre that is strongly established in 3D and brilliantly translates them into 2D. It's something that shouldn't work but does almost too well.

There's the aspects that you associate the aforementioned Max Payne and FEAR with like slo mo, lots of real world firearms like pistols, shotguns, smgs, as well as dual wielding them. The very satisfying damage animations as you are on your slo mo ballet blood baths. There are also aspects not in those games one being a 3 block health system where each bar can regen and enemies dropping health and dodging in the middle of using bullet time.It also has a similar system to Last Man Standing from Max Payne 3 where you quickly save yourself from a close call. There's also gameplay ideas exclusive to Pedro due it being in 2D. 

The opening level does a good job at establishing the controls and how core mechanics like shooting, jumping, diving, rolling, dodging and kicking works. It can take a little bit of getting used to but by the first few levels I eventually got used to them and chained together the aforementioned moves like if it was second nature.

It starts off simple with small hordes but then starts adding a number of reoccuring ideas. There richoheting bullets, swinging off ropes, lots of jumping off walls, rolling under platforms, switch pulling or shooting switching to move and activate platforms.

There's also explosive barrels and optional stuff like riding off skate boards or having bullets ricocheting off pans.

Each world also introduces new weapons like World 2 introduces the Shotgun, World 4 introduces the Assault Rifle, World 5 introduces the Sniper. There is also weird one off ideas like World 3 taking place in a dream like environment where you have disappearing platforms as you jump off of them.

Enemies also change too with first fighting mobsters then fighting close range enemies who use swords, turrets then armed cammandos late game. The final enemy type can can gun you down quickly if you don't get used to dodging.

The final world takes you in a weird Cyberpunk internet area where you not only have to kill enemies but dodge and shoot lasers, activating switches and time wall jump movements too.

Point I'm making is that while My Friend Pedro is a short game, the amount of new ideas and scenarios that it throws at the player in it's said short run time makes feel very exciting and exhilarating in the moment. It also helps you rarely if ever have to repeat a whole of content upon death which makes it yet another reason why the game is my go to short title.

You'll be gunning down enemies, jumping off walls, swinging off ropes, diving into walls, slamming through doors, zip lining, rolling under parts of the level as you are hearing the excellent soundtrack playing.

I would think I'd get tired of playing it every few years but I never do.

There are some issues but they are minor. Bosses aren't that great and only the penultimate boss being somewhat challenging due to her having the same moves as the player. Like the rest of the game they go by very quickly so it's not a big deal.

I did wish there was an audio cue or a better visual indicator when the aforementioned Last Man Standing mechanic kicks in since it can feel like cheating when the game just stop in it's tracks and has the dodge button prompt pop in to avoid dying. It isn't as reliable later on in the game however but I did wish there was a better system for this. 

World 4 which is basically a Sewer level can go on for a quite a while. The game also jokes about how sewer levels are disliked but it is an interesting designed one nonetheless due to close range enemies and the aforementioned gameplay loop. The game also jokingly brings up how long the level was going on for. It concludes in a pretty enjoyable train level.

So even at it's lowest points, there is always something to look forward to after.

Overall, playing My Friend Pedro now reminds me of how great short games can be when executed, designed and paced really well. It's my 4th time playing the game but I still don't get tired of it.