My Friend Pedro
By Paul Semel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Silly but engaging shooter for mature action junkies.
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My Friend Pedro
Community Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Doesn't deserve to be rated Mature...
One of my favourite games
What’s It About?
In MY FRIEND PEDRO, you and your pal Pedro (a talking, floating banana) wake up in the basement of a butcher shop that's actually a front for organized crime. Armed with pistols, your kicking shoes, some gymnastics skills, and the ability to slow down time, you and Pedro have to escape by taking out as many bad guys as you can. Players have the option to control both their bodies and the weapons they hold in both hands when they're in battle, giving a surprising amount of lethality when it comes to attacking enemies. Along with the fast-paced fights, players will also engage in motorcycle chases and solve puzzles.
Is It Any Good?
By giving you gymnastics skills and the ability to slow time, this old-school-style shooter makes you feel like you're Keanu Reeves in his best movies. In My Friend Pedro, you and your sentient floating banana pal Pedro have to shoot your way out of a butcher shop that's a front for organized crime. It's a good thing you have not only an endless supply of bullets, and your kicking shoes, but also some gymnastics skills and the ability to slow down time. This not only helps you shoot bad guys in hard to reach places, but also to survive when they have you surrounded. Or, to think of it another way: This is like if someone made a side-scrolling twin-stick arcade-style shooter about that time John Wick woke up in The Matrix.
In fact, it's when things start to get really clever and complicated and "Neo in the Matrix"-like that this shooter gets really good. While it's always fun to shoot bad guys while doing a slo-mo backwards jump, it's in the later levels, when you can do things like bank shots off hanging metal plates, that this becomes really challenging and satisfying. It's just too bad this isn't also available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, since the Switch's controller doesn't work as well for this kind game, and playing on a PC's keyboard would be frustrating. Even so, with clever levels, the skills to complete them, and a talking banana, My Friend Pedro is an addictive and exciting shooter for anyone who wishes they were Keanu Reeves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in My Friend Pedro affected by the focus on bloodshed and killing enemies? Is the impact lessened if you turn the blood and gore off, or do the actions you commit have the same effect regardless of what's shown?
When playing My Friend Pedro, you'll die a lot, which will make you redo the same section multiple times. Why do you think perseverance against difficult odds is an important skill in life? When do you think failing and trying again can be helpful?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch , Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Devolver Digital
- Release date: June 20, 2019
- Genre: Third-Person Shooter
- Topics: Adventures
- ESRB rating: T for Blood, Violence
- Last updated: March 16, 2020
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