My Friend Pedro

 PC
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jun 23, 2019
    My Friend Pedro does let you realise the fantasy of conducting a bullet symphony while hanging upside down from a zipline, but like most fantasies, it doesn’t survive past the initial rush of blood to the head.

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best PC Game of 2019
49
#49 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 321 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 203 out of 321
  2. Mixed: 99 out of 321
  3. Negative: 19 out of 321
  1. vaurne
    Dec 24, 2020
    6
    I really just cannot understand why people like this game so much.

    I enjoyed it a lot, and was very stunned by it, in the first five    I really just cannot understand why people like this game so much.

    I enjoyed it a lot, and was very stunned by it, in the first five minutes. It has good controls, good visuals, interesting narrative, decent gameplay, and very good level design. It keeps introducing new and fun mechanics, and it isn't difficult to the point it is frustrating, nor easy to the point it's really boring.

    It is fun and easy-going, but it is nothing more than that. It doesn't do perfectly with the things it focuses and strives on, and it's highlights are repeated endlessly throughout the game. It doesn't have a lot going for it at all, but what it does have, is pretty good.

    Definitely not deserving of such high critic and user score though in my personal opinion. I played it blindly, and had a good time. But if you go in expecting a 8/10 action-packed indie, this is probably going to disappoint you.

    It is - very basically - a mini-game that was expanded upon to create a more well-rounded and complete fun yet short bit of entertainment.    … Full Review »
  2. Certified
    Jun 21, 2019
    10
    Max Payne but 2d.
    I r8 10/10 goty nothing can top this
    But seriously the soundtrack is amazing and the gameplay was very enjoyable and unique.
  3. Chewi
    Jun 20, 2019
    8
    Forgive me for this really, really strained metaphor: My Friend Pedro is like eating a banana that's starting to rot as you're eating it. It'sForgive me for this really, really strained metaphor: My Friend Pedro is like eating a banana that's starting to rot as you're eating it. It's still a really good banana when you start, and the general core of the banana is still there but it starts to taste not as good. TLDR; I still recommend it, but it's not as good in the second half which focuses more on platforming than shooting and has a suddenly turn towards making jokes about gaming and the internet.

    The game's opening hour and a half (out of around three) are incredible. First, the game shows it understands how to introduce mechanics and then really play around with them. But unlike a game like Mario, where it's simply an obstacle to get around, it is instead another way to either kill your opponents or prevent them from killing you, expanding your arsenal against mobsters, hitmen, gamers and "Internet Service Protectors" (I'll get to that). Once you make your way through the first section of the game, you're then dropped into what is essentially a series of gauntlets that ask you to really go all out in pulling off some amazing feats.

    This is helped by the controls. They're simple, and while finicky at times, let you really move around the stage. Jumping through the air, pirouetting in order to avoid enemy fire, before firing at two enemies at the same time sounds like it should be complex, but it's quite the opposite. Kicking things, while tough to line up, is also easy to do. You have to really learn how to use everything to your advantage, but the rewards for doing so are wonderful.

    Then the game decides to start turning its hand towards platforming. Now, for maybe one area this would be fine (and the justification for the more gamey style platforming challenges is a fair one), but the developer seemed to forget that the reason I was playing this game was to kill enemies. It'd be fine if it was woven into the shooting, but it does not feel like it is. So levels from the middle section onwards have chunks where you're spending more time solving small disconnected platforming puzzles than actually fighting mooks.

    Speaking of mooks, while the game does have a silly streak (Pedro being the main source of it), the halfway point suddenly marks a drastic change in tone. You go from a world that seems like a stylised version of our reality to an outright absurd one where hardcore gamers are living in the sewers and The Internet is a physical place that appears to have control over the world. You go from fighting mobsters in tracksuits and hitmen attending their annual Christmas party to fighting gamers dressed as knights and what basically amount to internet police. It goes from a gleeful but still somewhat grounded action romp to a story that seems to have stopped taking itself seriously and was dangerously erring on the side of meta. I was obviously not expecting anything groundbreaking from the story, but what I got was very underwhelming even for the standards of this kind of game. (Of note is the ending which left a lot to be desired, although the boss fights before it are actually pretty good.)

    It still has its incredible highs though. And because of said highs I recommend playing it. But be wary that it'll start to lose steam once you reach the halfway point.    … Full Review »
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