Only Rick and Morty could reveal how twisted Pokémon games truly are.
In Pokémon titles, you battle your beloved pets for fame and glory. In Pocket Mortys, you do the same -- but with your grandson and his myriad of other-dimensional selves standing in for pocket monsters.
This Adult Swim Games creation, featuring the characters and worlds of the irreverent Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland series, is out on iOS [download link] and Android [download link] Wednesday. What starts as a random encounter with a strange Rick becomes an epic adventure to travel safely back to your home dimension. You quickly learn that versions of Rick across the universe are battling their Mortys (or stealing other Mortys to battle as well). In typical, spineless Morty fashion, he is forced by Rick into this battling scheme.
The game mirrors the tropes of the Pokémon handheld games, from the design to the battle system. Players can battle their Mortys, taking advantage of special attacks, healing items or by using different types of Mortys against each other. (Just as a fire-type Pokémon beats a water-type Pokémon, a rock-type Morty beats a scissor-type Morty.) You'll travel to other dimensions, drawn from the cartoon, to battle other Ricks and collect badges. Collect enough, and you can face the Council of Ricks and return home.
There are just as many Rick and Morty nods crammed into the game. The show just ended its second season on Adult Swim, but has already spawned plenty of other mobile and web-based games, including Jerry's Game and an Instagram-based hidden object game that came out at the season's start.
Pocket Mortys is totally free, with in-app purchases to unlock some extra models of Mortys or other power-ups.