The latest offering from Adult Swim Games is here, and it’s based on everyone’s favorite pair of universe bending buddies, Rick and Morty. Pocket Mortys is free-to-play on both iOS and Android devices, and takes the Rick and Morty universe and mashes it up with the highly successful Pokemon gameplay style.
You play as Rick and Morty, on a quest to get back Ricks Portal Gun from the Council of Ricks, all the while collecting new Mortys to update your Pokede… err Morty Pad. If you have ever played one of the dozens of iterations of Pokemon, then you already know what to expect here.
Gameplay consists of moving the pair around via a virtual d-pad with a lone “A” button for interaction. You’ll find yourself in various universes that each contain a boss battle (gym leader) that you must defeat to earn a badge that allows you to challenge the Council of Ricks. During each world you will have to face off against other Morty Trainers that have been caught up in the “catch them all” craze that has swept the multiverse with all the wild Rickless Mortys. Everything is laid out almost identical to Pokemon, but even if you haven’t played those games, it’s really easy to pick this one up and get going. You will start out with your Morty, but will be able to collect new Mortys by doing battle with them in the wild. Just as in Pokemon you can catch a Morty by using a special Chip (Pokeball) after you have done enough damage. These Mortys are all a treat to run into, and each offers up a unique take on the character. Old Morty, Cool Morty, Baby Morty, Cyclops Morty, the list goes on and on.
While making your way to each boss in a stage, you will run across other trainers and engage in harder battles. Many of these trainers will be quite familiar to viewers of the show and each will spout off some nonsense for why they are collecting Mortys. Like with Pokemon, each Morty is based on an element type, in this case the elements are Rock, Paper, and Scissors. It’s a cleaver take on the type system, but also allows those not into Pokemon to understand what types work best against each very quickly. As you battle and level up new abilities will open up that keep the game feeling fresh. The areas that you battle in are all fairly short, but as this is a free mobile game they all feel just right, especially when you just want to pick up and play for a few minutes.
You’ll also have to care for your Mortys, so healing them and recovering their AP is important while in each level. Since you don’t have your Portal Gun, you aren’t going to be able to jump back into the hub world to use the Morty Center to heal your party. Instead each battle will award you Shmeckles that you can in turn use at anytime from the Rick Store (in-game money only) to buy items. In Pocket Mortys you are going to have to worry more about item use than you would ever in a Pokemon game, and that will keep you on your toes. While in the hub world you will of course be able to store extra Mortys you caught, but also be able to combine them to create new and stronger Morty combinations. Because this is a free-to-play game you can go to Blitz and Chitz to use real money to play the crane game. While you can spend money to earn random drops that contain a number of items, you can also use coupons you earn in-game to do the same thing. It’s a nice implantation of the paid system, but I haven’t yet found myself having to pay any money to really enjoy the game to its fullest.
Graphically the game looks fantastic. Everything is done to both mimic the style of Pokemon, while still keeping the Rick and Morty feel. Characters move around the stage in a very smooth manner and each of the various Mortys you encounter are really fun to see. Unlike Pokemon where battles happen in tall grass, in Pocket Mortys you will always see the Morty wandering around in the game. A battle won’t initiate right away, even if you bump into a Morty, instead you’ll have to chase him around for a bit until he tuckers out. It’s a neat little addition and all the animations involved are fun to see as they play out.
The sound is also top-notch, and I have to really complement the audio design here. The major tracks from the show are all present, including the big songs that they used during season two. These are done in various styles, but the 8-bit retro inspired ones really stand out. It is hands down some of the best music I’ve every heard from a mobile game. There is also a lot of text in the game, but also a fair amount of voiced dialogue. Rick will pop off as you wander around, and both will make comments as battles are being carried out. It really adds to the game and shows the amount of time and love that the team over at Adult Swim Games put into this mobile title. Pockey Mortys is a must for any Rick and Morty fan, as well as anyone that wants that bit of Pokemon fix on a mobile.
I’d really love to see this ideas expanded on and make its way onto something like the 3DS. Heck, I’d love a more expanded version of this game to get a digital download on all the major systems! Pocket Mortys is a fantastic mobile game that cares more about the fans playing it, than most mobile games ever do. Find it right now on both iOS and Google Play. Wubba Lubba dub dub!
Apple App Store Link: http://apple.co/1Ke0NSS
Google Play Store Link: http://bit.ly/1JKIAl0
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