Bread & Fred: Penguins, Platforms, and Pure Chaos

Did you know two penguins named Bread and Fred did Peak first?

That’s right! Bread & Fred, a 2023 release from SandCastles Studios, is a two-player game about climbing a mountain just like Peak. You can take this five-hour adventure with our titular penguins on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Windows, and Xbox.

So find your feathered buddy and prepare for the cutest hike of a lifetime in Bread & Fred.

Waddle Up That Mountain

In Bread & Fred, you need a second player to join you for this adventure. Together you play as both penguins (Bread and Fred) that are connected by a rope, like in other games such as Unravel 2 and Pico Park. The objective of Bread & Fred is to reach the top of a mountain together by using communication skills.

The gameplay is rather simple at times. Sometimes you just need to time your jumps together, but other times it can be complicated like swinging a penguin while the other becomes an anchor. Bread & Fred is a platformer which is based in physics and is incredibly difficult to play. 

Bread & Fred is an adorable game that’s deceptively difficult and will definitely have you raging.

Rookery and Rage

It takes an average of four to eight attempts to accomplish each section of the game, which takes a five-hour game and turns it into a 10-hour game. In Bread & Fred, you need to have a lot of good communication but also a lot of patience, otherwise you will find yourself rage quitting. 

There are a few features, however, that keep you from completely and utterly losing your mind. First off, Bread & Fred is both a local and online co-op, meaning it is more accessible to two players than if it only had one of those options. There's also emotes that you can use while playing; the most useful of which is a countdown emote, which helps you time your jumps with your partner. 

Additionally, there is a menu in which you can turn certain features on and off. There are four features within this menu, one of which is that you can turn on checkpoints. Yes, Bread & Fred does not have checkpoints throughout the entire game unless you turn them on. Another is the rope pull, which allows you to pull your partner to you. The third is infinite jumps, which allows you to jump and pretty much fly to the platforms you need to reach. Finally there's the better grab, which allows you to grab a hold to the sides of mountains longer. 

If you play without checkpoints, you can sometimes find yourself slipping and falling all the way back to the beginning of the game, which is why I highly recommend playing with the checkpoints if you aren’t an experienced platformer player.

A Bonded Pair

While Bread & Fred can definitely get you angry, it can also be an enjoyable and fun time with the right person. Co-op games are games that are meant to be fun with another person and you're supposed to have conversations while playing Bread & Fred. Together you’re going to attempt this challenging game, have funny moments here and there, and you’ll climb this mountain all while communicating what to do next.

I have to give a shout out to the animations. The visuals and the sounds just add to the atmosphere. Bread & Fred is an adorable little game and the artwork of the 2D pixelated penguins is perfect. The music is also incredibly calming and relaxing, which is similar to Human: Fall Flat. I typically find 2D games to be dull and lifeless, but Bread & Fred proved me wrong with its cute cozy atmosphere. 

Tobogganing To Your Freedom

Bread & Fred isn't going to blow your mind, but it’s a fun time and a good time, if you pick the right person to take the climb with and you both like the challenge of a platforming game.

So grab your gear and your buddy’s flipper, to scale a mountain together.

My Rating