Heave Ho and My Neighbor Pedro Preview at PAX East 2019

When thinking of Devolver Digital, that outlandish publisher that has shown just how graphic E3 can get, what games come to mind? Some of the games in their impressive library include hits like Serious Sam,  Hotline Miami, Shadow Warrior, Katana Zero, The Talos Principle, and Genital Jousting just to highlight a few. At PAX East 2019, Devolver Digital granted us a hands-on preview with My Friend Pedro and the newly announced indie game Heave Ho.  Devolver set up their demo booth in an arcade style, where each game got their own preview box; the only game not to follow this method was Heave Ho. Instead, Devolver Digital built an 80-inch screen to debut Heave Ho, a co-op party game that focuses on working with allies to reach the objective.

On Friday afternoon, we had the opportunity to spend some time with My Friend Pedro,  a split-aiming slow-motion technique-driven shooter. Players are rewarded for taking down enemies quickly and by using the variety of moves available.  The demo started out with the main character being introduced to a talking banana; the banana acts in a similar role as Navi from the Legend of Zelda franchise.  Players are taught how to slow down time, do a 360 flip, focus their shots in two places, and how to flip off walls. The shooting relies more on the analog sticks and the way that they are aimed rather than how the fast the player pulls the trigger.

During our hands-on preview, we allowed a congoer who was waiting in line before we arrived to play part of the demo while we took notes. From what we could discern, the player is able to dodge bullets using a slowdown ability similar to what was popularized in Max Payne. The 2D side-scrolling view allows for players to move throughout the level using rubber band mechanics but the game did lag a bit when the character would rubber band too hard. Players are also able to kick over tables to take cover or kick the enemy.

My Friend Pedro focuses on guns-blazing techniques, granting the player unlimited ammo for their dual-wielded pistols. Variety is the name of the game, with the game giving bigger multipliers for variety kills and speed. Similar to other games, the player will have to deal with a variety of obstacles such as heavy turrets, explosive barrels, and traps. A score is then calculated based off of their performance throughout the level with an S standing for Super. The game focuses on making the player seem like an unkillable secret agent. The end of the demo featured a motorcycle driving scene where the player must control the vehicle while also shooting at enemies. In this moment, there were explosive barrels that could not be avoided and must instead be tackled with bullets, much like many aspects of this high-octane action game.

Overall, My Friend Pedro was more fun to watch than it was to play.  This is partially due to us not being as familiar with the Nintendo Switch controller we were provided with. That aside, the single-player campaign looks like it will provide players with a lot of fun mayhem.  My Friend Pedro is scheduled to be released in June 2019 for Windows PC and Nintendo Switch.

On Saturday afternoon, We had the opportunity to have a formal hands-on preview with the indie team-building mayhem game, Heave Ho. Heave Ho features little creatures that are just heads with long arms holding on for dear life and swinging throughout the level. As players progress, new obstacles and challenges are added to make players think about how to overcome each task and work together.

From the demo, we were able to discern that Heave Ho will have a large variety of character customization. We were able to create a pirate, Ironman, Frankenstein, and a cowboy. These were just a few of the customizable visuals the player is able to add to make their character unique. The demo also allowed players to choose their characters grips to show which hand is controlled by which button. Sadly, the couch for the demo was a little too close to the massive TV they provided, making the screen a bit overpowering. Heave Ho provides comical moments, amusing death noises, and a loss of breath from laughing so hard.

Heave Ho‘s simplistic nature makes it a great party game and could potentially be a trust-building exercise. Because of the absurd amount of fun we had while playing Heave Ho, we awarded it the Writers Choice Award. Heave Ho is scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. Hopefully, as the game continues its development, it will be ported to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later on.

In addition to my two appointments at Devolver Digital, our editor Andrew Peggs had the opportunity to preview Kantana Zero. For more information about the wonderfully weird spread at Devolver Digital check out the official website.

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