I go for the “joke” characters when I play Smash Bros. Since I grew up with the franchise, certain people, AKA my spouse, think it is cheating if I use my main against them. Therefore, I got good at beating him with the Ice Climbers. I am sorry if I offended anyone; they are kind of clunky to play with. So, when I saw a game about cute penguin mountain climbers, I knew I had to check it out. Today, we will be discussing Bread & Fred.
Bread & Fred‘s Story
Bread & Fred is a co-op platformer where players must work together to climb to the top of a mountain. Take on the lives of penguins Bread and Fred as they work together to swing from platform to platform, each jump taking them closer to the snowy summit. However, be warned jumping may be easy, but falling is even easier. This game takes skill, cooperation, and communication to master. Will you help these fowl friends reach their goals? Or will you rage quit? The answer is up to you!
Features Unique to Bread & Fred
- Swing together and fall as one!
- Players can use momentum to swing each other around.
- Wall holds.
- Penguins do not have grip strength, so players must act fast.
- Single-player mode.
- Want to play alone? No problem! Your rock friend Jeff is happy to help.
- Meet other penguin NPCs as they cheer you on.
- Or tell you reaching the summit is an impossible task.
- Speedrun mode.
- Need more of a challenge? The speedrun mode will test your climbing skills.
Thoughts on Bread & Fred
While I adore playing co-op games with my spouse, I also want to stay married. I am terrible at platforming games, and I know this would be our Overcooked. Little Big Planet is hard enough for me to finish without sucking away all our lives. Therefore, I played the demo’s single-player mode.
The first thing I was hit with was the adorable graphics. I did not see a tutorial mode and was thrown into a charming pixelated world. Jeff and I had a few moments of irritation; picking him up and throwing him was a pain at times. However, we made it farther than expected. Single-player mode did help with my lack of platformer skills, and I think it is a great way to test the game out before recruiting a pal.
If I feel bold over the holiday break, I will make my spouse play it with me. While Bread & Fred was fun to play alone, having a partner would make it even better. Sure, there may be some rage moments, like falling after painstakingly reaching a high point. However, gaming is not about the destination or the summit. It is about the journey and laughs along the way. Ultimately, I enjoyed this title and look forward to playing it properly.
Odds & Ends
Bread & Fred is currently available on Steam. For duo players, online coop and shared screen are available. If you want a different title to play over the holiday season, we have a list of couch and online coop games.
The article is a “gentle but effective introduction”—it conveys the initial feeling when touching Bread & Fred: it is cute, funny, but can make you… crazy (mostly fun!). It conveys the sweetness of the graphics, the surprise of the gameplay mechanics, and the author is honest in admitting how fun and tiring it is to play.