Bread and Fred : A cozy coop rage game and friendship tester

Sand Castles Studio and Apogee Entertainment have recently announced the release of their new co-op platformer game, Bread and Fred. The game is set to launch in 2023 and we sat down with the team to try the game and talk about what makes it so special.

Published by Apogee this new, challenging, coop platforming puzzle game features two adorable penguins, Bread and Fred, who need to work together to reach the top of a snow-capped mountain. The game is a co-op experience where players need to be in sync and jump together across platforms, ledges, and gaps. Bound together by a mere 3 feet of rope overcoming the mountains hazards is challenging, but equally cute and rewarding.

Players need to work together and take on different roles to climb the mountain. Bread's little penguin flippers can anchor to the ground, while Fred can time the perfect swing to clear massive gaps and pull their companion up the ledge before gravity drags them back down the slippery slopes. Players need to communicate and plan every attempt before taking action.

As I grabbed the controller to jump in as player two I could immediately feel this game was going to be challenging, and also realized that the game allows you to troll your buddy to hearts content if you wish to do so. Simply moving in other directions or not jumping on time or at all leaves your buddy , literally hanging. The rope does not give any stretch or slack forcing you to make calculated decisions on your adventure. With the aim of the release to be couch coop and steam remote play communication is key. Once of the features of that are emote buttons assigned to the dpad, such as a countdown timer making it easier to time your jumps. Just agree if you jump on the 1 or after the 1.

Bread and Fred is a unique platformer inspired by games such as "Jump King" and " getting over it" that introduces a cooperative element to the genre. It takes inspiration from these popular single-player platformers and adds a new layer of gameplay with two friends forever-connected on their way to the finish line. The game puts friendships to the test and requires players to keep calm and work together to overcome every obstacle. As such the first words out of my mouth were this game seems like a relationship tester. does it come with a divorce attorney? 

But the dev team realizes that the cute factor of the game will likely attract kids and casual players as well and the last thing they want is someone to be stuck in the game and not getting any enjoyment out of it. So they introduced a few options in the game you can use, or not it is up to you. The first one is a save system. Any time you finally made it passed a hard obstacle , or right before, you can put down a marker that serves as a save point. Whenever you miss and tumble all the way back down , a simple button press calls in a little bird who flies you right back to that point saving you from a complete meltdown. 

The second option is hidden in the pause menu and this allows infinite jump mode. Turn it on and you can blast your self past that pesky challenge or even the whole map if you want to. It is a great way to not have to deal with a difficult area forever or to scout ahead and see what is still coming  your way. And as I said, these are all options. If you want a real challenge, do no not use any of them and prove you are a true mountaineer. 

The game is also build to have speed runners sink their teeth in the game and compete to claim the title of fastest penguins on the planet. In early gameplay testing they already have some speed runs on recording and to see it is quite impressive.

Players can also switch to a single-player experience If you do not have anyone to play with you, likely because they have walked away in frustration (just kidding), you can also take on the challenge by yourself where instead of another penguin you will adventure out with your pet rock Jeff. Jeff can do everything that your bird buddy can do. He can anchor, fly, cling to walls, whatever you need to get across the mountain.

Scott Miller, CCO, and Founder of Apogee Entertainment, praised the game's originality and the team's ability to incorporate a team element. He said that every playtest has been full of laughter, yells, and high-fives between friends when they completed a hard jump together. Bread and Fred is a one-of-a-kind experience that brings out both the best and the worst in players.

The development team is planning to also add cute costumes to unlock in the game to add to the cuteness. The goal is to create a cozy rage game and from where I sat, they seem to have achieved that goal so far and cute outfits sure would add to the cute factor. There is still a lot to finish up on the game which is aiming for a holiday release 2023 and the plan is to work with the community to expand the game based on their feedback. A level editor will not be planned at launch, but it is something they are looking into.

If you want to get a feel for the challenge of this icy peak for yourself Bread and Fred's demo is available now on Steam for PC, and the full 1.0 launch is expected in 2023. The game promises to be an exciting co-op platformer that challenges players and strengthens friendships. With its cute visuals, challenging gameplay, and cooperative element, Bread and Fred is a game worth trying out this holiday season.