“My Friend Pedro” is a 2D, side-scrolling shooter game that perfectly captures the feeling of being in a ludicrously over-the-top action movie. Players take on the role of a mysterious masked man who wakes up in a mobster’s basement with no memory of who he is. The masked man is approached by a floating banana, who introduces himself as Pedro. Pedro becomes your guide as you fight your way out of your predicament. It’s an absurd premise for a video game, and things only get weirder from there.

The gameplay in “My Friend Pedro” is a mix of intense gunfights and puzzling platforming challenges. To advance, the player must shoot accurately and navigate the game’s unique environments. There are an enjoyable variety of weapons available with further options unlocked throughout the course of the game. The combat in “My Friend Pedro” offers two exciting features: the ability to split your fire between two targets and the ability to slow down time. When your character has a weapon in each hand, you can lock your aim onto two separate targets, giving you an advantage when facing down large groups of enemies or being attacked from multiple angles. The ability to slow down time for short periods increases the amount of time you have to hit your targets and dodge incoming fire, giving the combat in “My Friend Pedro” an exciting “Matrix” feel.

The game adopts a relatively simple and minimalistic visual style. This helps it maintain a timeless feel, despite being based on an Adobe Flash game from several years ago. It also features a stellar soundtrack full of pumping action music that punctuates the action.

After each level, the game provides you with a performance score based on your actions in the level. This adds an incentive to replay levels in order to increase your score. I went back to my favorite level several times in order to get the highest possible score, and I was able to enjoy the exciting gameplay again and again.

“Players take on the role of a mysterious masked man who wakes up in a mobster’s basement with no memory of who he is.”

The story of “My Friend Pedro” keeps you guessing until the very end. Since your character wakes up with no memory, there are many unanswered questions. If you enjoy fast-paced action games like “Hotline Miami,” then you will have an excellent time with “My Friend Pedro.”

Peer Rating: 4.5/5