E3 Preview: My Friend Pedro: Blood Bullets Bananas
Of all the games I had a chance to preview at E3 2018, there was one indie title that stood out as a beautiful combination of absurd and fun which I have no doubt will be a huge hit when it launches sometime in 2019. Currently being developed by the one-man team at DeadToast Entertainment and published by those crazy folks at Devolver Digital, My Friend Pedro: Blood Bullets Bananas, is an action-packed sidescroller with a ton of over-the-top gunplay and violence that’ll make any fan of Deadpool grin. Oddly enough, it actually wasn’t Deadpool that inspired this crazy shooter according to the developer, but rather Bollywood movies – which makes sense, considering their over-the-top theatrics combined with nonsensical storytelling.
So what exactly is My Friend Pedro: Blood Bullets Bananas? Well, you star as a masked man who is aided by a sentient banana (don’t ask) and you are tasked with slaughtering everyone in your path. You’ll be aided by a variety of moves, such ballet-esque twists (to avoid bullets), front flips, dual guns, and the ability to slow down time. You can aim both guns independently (which, admittedly, was a bit awkward – but practice will probably make it feel second nature) and for close combat encounters, you’ll have your mighty kick. There will also be a number of in-world items that’ll assist you with your killing sprees. Find a frying pan? Well, kick it up into the air and unleash a barrage of bullets towards it and watch them ricochet around hitting all of your enemies.
I was given the opportunity to play through two full levels (the tutorial and the second level) and a boss fight. The tutorial was just that, a level that gave me enough knowledge to get me started – but the real fun comes from how you use these moves to lay waste to your enemy. While I was playing, the developer mentioned that he still sees people coming up with new and creative ways to kill – and he can’t wait to see what people come up with during the full game. The second level introduced me to even more firepower, upgrading me from dual pistols to dual uzis. In fact, the developer said he’s making a point of introducing a new mechanic in each level just to keep things fresh. Then there was the boss fight. During this level/battle, I was driving a motorcycle while the boss was attacking me from his van. It took me a few tries, but I finally beat him. After that, the developer took over the controller and showed me a still-in-development level where rode a skateboard which he used in conjunction with all his other sweet moves.
My Friend Pedro: Blood Bullets Bananas is an over-the-top, action-packed game filled with moments that’ll make you smile. At the end of each level, you’re given a ranking and I have little doubt that most gamers will keep replaying levels, just to try and improve their ranks – it’s that much fun. As a sweet little bonus, the game will recognize what it feels is your coolest moment in each level and allow you to post it as a GIF on social media, giving gamers the opportunity to share all their sweet, sweet kills! I can’t wait until my feed is lit up with these GIFs. My Friend Pedro: Blood Bullets Bananas is currently being developed for Nintendo Switch and PC, with a release date of 2019 (hopefully Spring!). We’ll be sure to have a full review for our readers when the game is launched – but if my short time with it during E3 is any indication, this will be a must own game.
