Rick and Mortyis a show that has become one of the most popular cartoons of recent memory. First airing in 2013, the show has developed a significant fanbase and global appeal, and has predictably evolved and branched out to other forms of media.
One of the most obvious forms of media thatRick and Mortyhas lent itself to is video games. That being said, the relationship between the franchise and video games has been a fairly inconsistent one, spanning across platforms and genres without a clear overall structure.
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Pocket Mortys
The first fairly large-scale officially licensed title to come under theRick and Mortyname was that of the 2016 mobile gamePocket Mortys. The game is a typically tongue-in-cheek parody of thePokemonfranchise, in which the player explores a top-down open-world asderanged scientist Rick Sanchez, capturing different variations of his grandson Morty to train and fight other Mortys.
LikePokemon,the combat is turn-based, with over 200 types of Morty to catch and fight with. Considering that the game’s plot concerns itself with exploring dimensions to discover new Morty variants, it is tied into the overall themes of the show in quite a clever and engaging way.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
Definitely the most high-profileRick and Mortygame to date came withVirtual Rick-ality, which released in 2017. As the name suggests, the game was made for VR headsets, being an interactive experience set within the Sanchez household showcasing many references to the numerous plot lines and gags of the show itself.
The game was published by Adult Swim, and was received well by fans at the time of release, which prompted the company to eventually release acollector’s edition ofVirtual Rick-ality. While the franchise has not delved back into the VR medium since the release of this game, it is safe to say that it has definitely left its mark.
Rick and Morty Crossovers With Other Games
Outside of its own officially licensed games,Rick and Mortyhas had plenty of crossover content with many other high-profile releases. Perhaps most notably,Rick and Mortycollaborated withFortnitein the release of in-game skins for the two main characters, being one of the many franchises to collaborate with the massively popular battle royale shooter.
Rick and Mortyhas had announcer packs forDOTA 2, as well as featuring a segment where the pair explorethe world ofMinecraftwithin the show itself.Rick and Mortyhas also been the subject of many Easter eggs, with the likes ofBorderlands 3featuring “Wick and Warty” NPCs, for example. The show has firmly established itself within the contemporary pop-culture zeitgeist, which has made its transition into video games all the more seamless and inexorable.
High On Life
The latest foray from the creators ofRick and Mortyinto the world of gaming is set to come with the recently announced first-person shooterHigh on Life. Set to release this October, the title is being developed by Squanch Games, which was founded byRick and Mortycreator Justin Roilandin 2016.
The studio released the well-receivedAccountingin 2016, as well asTrover Saves the Universein 2019, andHigh on Lifeis set to be its most ambitious project yet. Adopting the same iconic humor, art style, and voices ofRick and Morty, the game is intrinsically linked to the franchise despite not being a spinoff of the show.
High on Lifeis even inspired byRick and Mortyzaniness within its story, which will see players take control of a bounty hunter that is saving humans who are being used as drugs by alien cartels. The relationship betweenRick and Mortyand video games is definitely a strange one that has taken many different identities, but with Squanch Games only growing in size, fans should expect to see many more officially licensed games in the future.
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